U.S. patent application number 14/454820 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-29 for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 chimeric antigen receptors and use of same for the treatment of cancer.
The applicant listed for this patent is The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Serv, The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Serv. Invention is credited to Dhanalakshmi Chinnasamy, Steven A. Rosenberg.
Application Number | 20150030597 14/454820 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42937813 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150030597 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rosenberg; Steven A. ; et
al. |
January 29, 2015 |
ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR-2 CHIMERIC ANTIGEN
RECEPTORS AND USE OF SAME FOR THE TREATMENT OF CANCER
Abstract
The invention provides chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)
comprising an antigen binding domain of a KDR-1121 or DC101
antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular domain T cell receptor
signaling domain. Nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors,
host cells, populations of cells, antibodies, or antigen binding
portions thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions relating to the
CARs are disclosed. Methods of detecting the presence of cancer in
a host and methods of treating or preventing cancer in a host are
also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Rosenberg; Steven A.;
(Potomac, MD) ; Chinnasamy; Dhanalakshmi; (North
Potomac, MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary,
Department of Health and Human Serv |
Bethesda |
MD |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
42937813 |
Appl. No.: |
14/454820 |
Filed: |
August 8, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13875560 |
May 2, 2013 |
8822196 |
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14454820 |
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13499349 |
Apr 23, 2012 |
8465743 |
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PCT/US10/48701 |
Sep 14, 2010 |
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13875560 |
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61247625 |
Oct 1, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
424/134.1 ;
424/93.2; 514/44R; 530/389.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C07K 14/7051 20130101;
C07K 14/70521 20130101; C07K 16/2863 20130101; G01N 33/5091
20130101; C07K 16/42 20130101; A61P 35/00 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
424/134.1 ;
530/389.1; 514/44.R; 424/93.2 |
International
Class: |
C07K 16/28 20060101
C07K016/28; C07K 14/725 20060101 C07K014/725; C07K 16/42 20060101
C07K016/42 |
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. An antibody, or antigen binding portion thereof, which
specifically binds to a a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)
comprising an antigen binding domain of a KDR-1121 or DC101
antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
16-18. (canceled)
19. A method of treating or preventing cancer in a host comprising
administering to the host, in an amount effective to treat or
prevent cancer in the host, any one or more of (a) a chimeric
antigen receptor (CAR) comprising an antigen binding domain of a
KDR-1121 or DC101 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell
receptor transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain; (b) a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide
sequence encoding the CAR; (c) a recombinant expression vector
comprising the nucleic acid; and (d) an isolated host cell
comprising the recombinant expression vector.
20. The method of claim 19, comprising administering a population
of cells comprising at least one host cell comprising the
recombinant expression vector.
21. The method of claim 19, comprising administering a
pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) any one or more of the
CAR, the nucleic acid, the recombinant expression vector, or the
isolated host cell, and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable
carrier.
22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the antigen binding
domain comprises an amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 or
2.
23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the CAR further
comprises an intracellular hinge domain.
24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the extracellular
hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and intracellular hinge domain
comprise CD8 (SEQ ID NO: 3).
25. The method according to claim 19, wherein the extracellular
hinge domain and transmembrane domain comprise CD8 (SEQ ID NO:
4).
26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the intracellular T
cell receptor signaling domain comprises CD28, 4-1BB, and/or
CD3.zeta. (SEQ ID NO: 5 or 6).
27. The method according to claim 19, wherein the extracellular
hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and intracellular T cell
signaling domain comprise CD28 (SEQ ID NO: 7) and/or CD3.zeta. (SEQ
ID NO: 8).
28. The method according to claim 19, wherein the intracellular T
cell receptor signaling domain comprises CD28 and/or CD3.zeta. (SEQ
ID NO: 9).
29. The method according to claim 19, wherein the CAR comprises an
amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID
NOs: 10-15.
30. The method according to claim 19, wherein the nucleic acid
comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting
of SEQ ID NOs: 16-21.
31. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is
melanoma.
32. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is colon
cancer.
33. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is kidney
cancer.
34. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is colon
adenocarcinoma or colon carcinoma.
35. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is a solid
tumor or hematologic malignancy.
36. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is renal
carcinoma.
37. The method according to claim 19, wherein the cancer is
sarcoma.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,625, filed Oct. 1, 2009,
which is incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Solid tumors account for more than 85% of cancer mortality
(Jain, R. K. Science 307: 58-62 (2005)). The growth and metastasis
of many cancers, e.g., solid tumors, is facilitated by the
formation of new blood vessels, also known as angiogenesis.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for compositions and
methods of treating or preventing cancer that target tumor
angiogenesis.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An embodiment of the invention provides chimeric antigen
receptors (CARs) comprising an antigen binding domain of a KDR-1121
or DC101 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0004] Further embodiments of the invention provide related nucleic
acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, populations of
cells, antibodies, or antigen binding portions thereof, and
pharmaceutical compositions relating to the CARs of the
invention.
[0005] Additional embodiments of the invention provide methods of
detecting the presence of cancer in a host and methods of treating
or preventing cancer in a host.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0006] FIG. 1 is a graph of incorporation of .sup.3[H]-thymidine
(CPM) by cells transduced with an empty vector (diagonal stripe),
SP6-CD828BBZ (herringbone), DC101-CD8 (checkered), DC101-CD828BBZ
(grey), or DC101-CD828Z (black) as a measure of proliferation when
cultured on plates bound with no antigen (none) or bound with BSA,
VEGFR-2, or anti-CD3.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (pg/ml) by cells
transduced with an empty vector (diagonal stripe), SP6-CD828BBZ
(herringbone), DC101-CD8 (checkered), DC101-CD828BBZ (grey), or
DC101-CD828Z (black) when cultured on plates bound with no antigen
(none) or bound with BSA, VEGFR-2, or anti-CD3.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (pg/ml) by cells
untransduced (right slanting line) or transduced with an empty
vector (dotted), SP6-CD828BBZ (left slanting line), DC101-CD8
(zebra stripe), DC101-CD828BBZ (grey), or DC101-CD828Z (black) when
cultured alone or co-cultured with SVEC4-10EHR1, bEnd.3, MS1, SVR,
4T1, MC38, MCA-205, MC17-51, P815, EL4, C1498, B16, MB49,
MB49-FLK-1, 3T3, or 3T3-FLK-1 cells.
[0009] FIG. 4A is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101 CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed square),
at days after T cell transfer.
[0010] FIG. 4B is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
MC38 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101 CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed square),
at days after T cell transfer.
[0011] FIG. 5A is a graph of percent survival of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101 CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed square),
at days after T cell transfer.
[0012] FIG. 5B is a graph of percent survival of mice bearing MC38
tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with rhIL-2
alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced with
DC101 CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed square), at
days after T cell transfer.
[0013] FIG. 6A is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), treated with DC101 antibody (open
triangle), treated with rat IgG1 antibody (open diamond), or
treated with T cells transduced with DC101 CAR (closed triangle),
or empty vector (closed square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0014] FIG. 6B is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), or treated with
T cells transduced with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR vector (closed
triangle), SP6-CD8S8BBZ CAR vector (open diamond), DC101-CD8 vector
(open triangle), or an empty vector (closed square), at days after
T cell transfer.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were treated with T cells transduced with
DC101-mCD828BBZ (diamond), DC101-CD828Z (triangle), or an empty
vector (square), at days after T cell transfer. Control groups
received no T cell therapy (circle). Closed symbols indicate
exogenous rhIL-2 administration and open symbols indicate no rhIL-2
administration.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a graph of incorporation of .sup.3[H]-thymidine
(CPM) by cells mock transduced (checkered), or transduced with
KDR-CD28Z (black), or KDR-CD28BBZ (grey), as a measure of
proliferation when cultured on plates bound with no antigen (none)
or bound with BSA, VEGFR-2, or anti-CD3.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (pg/ml) by cells
mock transduced (checkered), or transduced with KDR-CD28Z (black),
or KDR-CD28BBZ (grey), when cultured on plates bound with no
antigen (none) or bound with BSA, VEGFR-2, or anti-CD3.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (pg/ml) by cells
untransduced (dark grey), mock transduced (white), or transduced
with KDR1121-hCD28Z (black), or KDR1121-hCD828BBZ (light grey) when
cultured alone (none) or co-cultured with 293 cells or 293-KDR
cells for each of Donor Nos. 1-3.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (pg/ml) by T
cells untransduced (white), mock transduced (grey), or transduced
with KDR-CD28Z (black) when cultured alone (none) or co-cultured
with target cells 293A2, 293A2-KDR, HMVEC-Dermal, HMVEC-Lung,
HUVEC, skin fibroblasts, SAEC, HBEC, HRE, HMEC, PrEC, or HSMM
cells.
[0020] FIG. 12 is a graph of IFN-.gamma. secretion (ng/ml) upon
incubation of no cells (none) or target cells (bEnd.3, MB49, or
MB49-FLK-1) alone (underlined none) or with 10 .mu.g/m of rat IgG1,
anti-mouse VEGFR-1 antibody, or anti-mouse VEGFR-2 antibody (DC101)
and then coculture with primary mouse T cells mock-transduced
(white bars) or transduced with an empty vector (grey bars) or a
retroviral vector encoding SP6-CD828BBZ CAR (hatched bars), or
DC101-CD828BBZ (black bars).
[0021] FIG. 13 shows graphs of specific lysis (%) (y axis) of
target mouse cells (SVEC4-10EHR1, 4T1, RENCA, MB49, bEND.3, MC38,
MC17-51, MB49-Flk1, MS1, CT26, B16-F10, 3T3, SVR, MCA205, C1498,
3T3-Flk1) expressing VEGFR-2 incubated with primary mouse T cells
mock transduced (*) or transduced with an empty vector (square),
SP6-CD828BBZ (circle), DC101-CD8 (diamond), DC101-CD828Z (closed
triangle) or DC101-CD828BBZ (open triangle) at varying
effector-to-target ratios (x axis). Each data point reflects the
mean of triplicates.
[0022] FIG. 14A is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
MCA205 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0023] FIG. 14B is a graph of percent survival of mice bearing
MCA205 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0024] FIG. 14C is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
CT26 tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0025] FIG. 14D is a graph of percent survival of mice bearing CT26
tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with rhIL-2
alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced with
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0026] FIG. 14E is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
RENCA tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0027] FIG. 14F is a graph of percent survival of mice bearing
RENCA tumors that were untreated (closed circle), treated with
rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated with T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle), or empty vector (closed
square), at days after T cell transfer.
[0028] FIG. 15 is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that were treated with 2.times.10.sup.7 (closed
triangles on solid line), 1.times.10.sup.7 (open triangles on solid
line), 5.times.10.sup.6 (closed triangles on dotted line), or
2.times.10.sup.6 (open triangles on dotted line) syngeneic T cells
transduced with DC101-CD828BBZ plus rhIL-2, untreated (closed
circle), treated with rhIL-2 alone (closed diamond), or treated
with 2.times.10.sup.7 T cells transduced with an empty vector plus
rhIL-2 (closed square), at days after T cell transfer. Each
treatment group included a minimum of 5 mice. Serial, blinded tumor
measurements were obtained and the products of perpendicular
diameters were plotted .+-.SEM.
[0029] FIG. 16A is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
subcutaneous B16-F10 tumors sublethally irradiated at 5Gy TBI and
which received no T cells or rhIL-2 (closed circles) or which were
injected with a single dose of 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CD28BBZ
(closed triangles) or empty vector (closed squares) transduced
syngeneic mouse T cells in conjunction with rhIL-2; or 3 sequential
doses of 5.times.10.sup.6 DC101-CAR (open triangles) or empty
vector (open squares) transduced T cells at a 7 to 10 day interval
and 2 daily doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days concomitant to cell transfer
at 0-63 days after T cell transfer. Each treatment group included a
minimum 5 mice. Serial, blinded tumor measurements were obtained
and the products of perpendicular diameters were plotted
.+-.SEM.
[0030] FIG. 16B is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
subcutaneous MCA205 tumors sublethally irradiated at 5Gy TBI and
which received no T cells or rhIL-2 (closed circles) or which were
injected with a single dose of 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CD28BBZ
(closed triangles) or empty vector (closed squares) transduced
syngeneic mouse T cells in conjunction with rhIL-2; or 3 sequential
doses of 5.times.10.sup.6 DC101-CAR (open triangles) or empty
vector (open squares) transduced T cells at a 7 to 10 day interval
and 2 daily doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days concomitant to cell transfer
at 0-63 days after T cell transfer. Each treatment group included a
minimum of 5 mice. Serial, blinded tumor measurements were obtained
and the products of perpendicular diameters were plotted
.+-.SEM.
[0031] FIG. 16C is a graph of survival (%) of mice bearing
subcutaneous B16-F10 tumors sublethally irradiated at 5Gy TBI and
which received no T cells or rhIL-2 (closed circles) or which were
injected with a single dose of 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CD28BBZ
(closed triangles) or empty vector (closed squares) transduced
syngeneic mouse T cells in conjunction with rhIL-2; or 3 sequential
doses of 5.times.10.sup.6 DC101-CAR (open triangles) or empty
vector (open squares) transduced T cells at a 7 to 10 day interval
and 2 daily doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days concomitant to cell transfer
at 0-120 days after T cell transfer. Each treatment group included
a minimum of 5 mice. Serial, blinded tumor measurements were
obtained and the products of perpendicular diameters were plotted I
SEM.
[0032] FIG. 16D is a graph of survival (%) of mice bearing
subcutaneous MCA205 tumors sublethally irradiated at 5Gy TBI and
which received no T cells or rhIL-2 (closed triangles) or empty
vector (closed squares) transduced syngeneic mouse T cells in
conjunction with rhIL-2; or 3 sequential doses of 5.times.10.sup.6
DC101-CAR (open triangles) or empty vector (open squares)
transduced T cells at a 7 to 10 day interval and 2 daily doses of
rhIL-2 for 3 days concomitant to cell transfer at 0-150 days after
T cell transfer. Each treatment group included a minimum of 5 mice.
Serial, blinded tumor measurements were obtained and the products
of perpendicular diameters were plotted .+-.SEM.
[0033] FIG. 17 is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors that did not receive 5 Gy TBI prior to transfer of
2.times.10.sup.7 syngeneic T cells transduced with DC101-CAR (open
triangles), SP6-CAR (open diamonds), or an empty vector (open
squares) plus rhIL-2, or not treated with T cells (open circles).
Mice in groups represented in closed symbols received 5 Gy TBI
prior to T cell transfer.
[0034] FIG. 18A is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of BALB/c mice
bearing CT26 tumors treated with a single dose of 5.times.10.sup.6
unseparated CD3.sup.+ T cells transduced with the DC101-CD828BBZ
(closed triangles) or an empty vector (closed squares) or
2.times.10.sup.7 purified CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced with either
DC101-CD828BBZ (open triangles) or an empty vector (open squares)
at 0-50 days after T cell transfer. All T cell treatment groups
received 2 daily doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days. Control groups
received rhIL-2 alone (diamonds) or no treatment (circles).
[0035] FIG. 18B is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of BALB/c mice
bearing RENCA tumors treated with a single dose of 5.times.10.sup.6
unseparated CD3.sup.+ T cells transduced with the DC101-CD828BBZ
(closed triangles) or an empty vector (closed squares) or
2.times.10.sup.7 purified CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced with either
DC101-CD828BBZ (open triangles) or an empty vector (open squares)
at 0-32 days after T cell transfer. All T cell treatment groups
received 2 daily doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days. Control groups
received rhIL-2 alone (diamonds) or no treatment (circles).
[0036] FIG. 18C is a graph of tumor area (mm.sup.2) of C57BL/6 mice
bearing B16-F10 tumors treated with with a single dose of
2.times.10.sup.7 unseparated CD3.sup.+ T cells transduced with the
DC101-CD828BBZ (closed triangles on solid line) or an empty vector
(closed squares) or 2.times.10.sup.7 purified CD8.sup.+ T cells
transduced with either DC101-CD828BBZ (open triangles on solid
line) or an empty vector (open squares) at 0-25 days after T cell
transfer. Some groups received a mixture of 1.times.10.sup.7
CD4.sup.+ T cells and 1.times.10.sup.7 CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced
with DC101-CD828BBZ (closed triangles on dotted line) or an empty
vector (open circles). All T cell treatment groups received 2 daily
doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days. Control groups received rhIL-2 alone
(closed diamonds) or no treatment (closed circles).
[0037] FIG. 19 shows graphs of specific lysis (%) (y axis) of
target human cells (293, 293-KDR, HMVEC-D, HMVEC-L, SAEC, NHBE,
HSMM, and Fibroblast) incubated with primary human T cells mock
transduced (*) or transduced with SP6-CD828BBZ (square),
KDR1121-CD828Z (closed triangle), or KDR1121-CD828BBZ (open
triangle) at varying effector-to-target ratios (x axis). Each data
point reflects the mean of triplicates.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] An embodiment of the invention provides chimeric antigen
receptors (CARs) comprising an antigen binding domain of a KDR-1121
or DC101 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0039] A chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is an artificially
constructed hybrid protein or polypeptide containing the antigen
binding domains of an antibody (scFv) linked to T-cell signaling
domains. Characteristics of CARs include their ability to redirect
T-cell specificity and reactivity toward a selected target in a
non-MHC-restricted manner, exploiting the antigen-binding
properties of monoclonal antibodies. The non-MHC-restricted antigen
recognition gives T cells expressing CARs the ability to recognize
antigen independent of antigen processing, thus bypassing a major
mechanism of tumor escape. Moreover, when expressed in T-cells,
CARs advantageously do not dimerize with endogenous T cell receptor
(TCR) alpha and beta chains.
[0040] The phrases "have antigen specificity" and "elicit
antigen-specific response" as used herein means that the CAR can
specifically bind to and immunologically recognize an antigen, such
that binding of the CAR to the antigen elicits an immune
response.
[0041] The CARs of the invention have antigen specificity for
vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) (also known
as kinase domain region (KDR) in humans and fetal liver kinase-1
(Flk-1) in mice). VEGFR-2 is a receptor for vascular endothelial
growth factor (VEGF), has seven extracellular domains, and is
selectively expressed by vascular endothelial cells. VEGFR-2 is
overexpressed by tumor endothelial cells in tumor blood vessels.
VEGFR-2 additionally can be expressed by normal, non-tumor, or
non-cancerous cells. However, in such a situation, the expression
of VEGFR-2 by normal, non-tumor, or non-cancerous cells is not as
robust as the expression by tumor or cancer cells. In this regard,
the tumor or cancer cells can over-express VEGFR-2 or express
VEGFR-2 at a significantly higher level, as compared to the
expression of VEGFR-2 by normal, non-tumor, or non-cancerous cells.
VEGFR-2 enhances tumor vascularization, growth, and metastasis.
Without being bound to a particular theory, it is believed that by
eliciting an antigen-specific response against VEGFR-2, the
inventive CARs target and destroy VEGFR-2 expressing endothelial
cells in the tumor vasculature, attack tumor vasculature, reduce or
eliminate tumors, facilitate infiltration of immune cells to the
tumor site, and enhance/extend anti-tumor responses.
[0042] Antiangiogenic tumor therapy provides many advantages. For
example, because endothelial cells are genetically stable, drug
resistance is believed to be unlikely. Additionally, the
bloodstream provides easy access to the vascular endothelium and
side effects and toxicity to normal tissues is believed to be
limited. Moreover, the destruction of tumor blood vessels is
believed to accelerate tumor cell death. Angiogenic endothelial
cells are also believed to homogenously up-regulate antigen, e.g.,
VEGFR-2 expression. Moreover, antioangiogenic tumor therapy is
applicable to many cancers, e.g., solid tumors that include a
vascular supply.
[0043] The invention provides a CAR comprising an antigen binding
domain of a KDR-1121 antibody or DC101 antibody. KDR-1121 (also
known as IMC-1121B) is a human, anti-VEGFR-2 antibody. KDR-1121
binds to VEGFR-2 domain 3 and blocks VEGF/KDR interaction. DC101 is
a rat anti-mouse VEGFR-2 antibody. Exemplary suitable KDR-1121 and
DC101 antibodies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,498,414;
5,840,301; 5,861,499 and WO 2007/095337, each of which is hereby
incorporated by reference. In this regard, a preferred embodiment
of the invention provides CARs comprising an antigen-binding domain
comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of, a single
chain variable fragment (scFv) of KDR-1121 (SEQ ID NO: 1) or DC101
(SEQ ID NO: 2).
[0044] In an embodiment of the invention, the CAR comprises an
extracellular hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and optionally,
an intracellular hinge domain comprising CD8 and an intracellular T
cell receptor signaling domain comprising CD28, 4-1BB, and
CD3.zeta.. CD28 is a T cell marker important in T cell
co-stimulation. CD8 is also a T cell marker. 4-1BB transmits a
potent costimulatory signal to T cells, promoting differentiation
and enhancing long-term survival of T lymphocytes. CD3.zeta.
associates with TCRs to produce a signal and contains
immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs). In this
regard, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides an
extracellular hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and optional
intracellular hinge domain comprising, consisting essentially of,
or consisting of SEQ ID NO: 3 (human CD8 extracellular hinge
sequence, transmembrane sequence, and intracellular hinge sequence)
or SEQ ID NO: 4 (mouse CD8 extracellular hinge and transmembrane
sequences). The intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain
comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, SEQ ID NO: 5
(human CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor
signaling sequences) or SEQ ID NO: 6 (mouse CD28, 4-1BB, and
CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling sequences).
[0045] In another embodiment of the invention, the CAR comprises an
extracellular hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and intracellular
T cell signaling domain comprising CD28 and CD3.zeta.. In this
regard, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides an
extracellular hinge domain, transmembrane domain, and intracellular
T cell signaling domain comprising, consisting essentially of, or
consisting of, SEQ ID NO: 7 (human CD28 extracellular hinge,
transmembrane, and intracellular T cell signaling sequences) and
SEQ ID NO: 8 (human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor
signaling sequence).
[0046] In another embodiment of the invention, the CAR comprises an
extracellular hinge domain and transmembrane domain comprising CD8
and an intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain comprising
CD28 and CD3.zeta.. In this regard, a preferred embodiment of the
invention provides an extracellular hinge domain and transmembrane
domain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of, SEQ
ID NO: 4 (mouse CD8 extracellular hinge and transmembrane
sequences). The intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain
comprises, consists of or consists essentially of SEQ ID NO: 9
(mouse CD28 and CD3.zeta. sequence).
[0047] Additional embodiments of the invention provide CARs
comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of, any of the
amino acid sequences set forth in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 SEQ ID NO scFv Further Components 10 (KDR-
KDR- Human CD8 extracellular hinge, hCD828BBZ) 1121 transmembrane
and intracellular hinge domains Human CD28, human 4-1BB, and human
CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling domains 11 (KDR-
KDR- Human CD28 extracellular hinge and hCD28Z) 1121 transmembrane
domains Human CD28 and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell
receptor signaling domains 12 (DC101- DC101 Mouse CD8 extracellular
hinge and mCD828BBZ) transmembrane domains Mouse CD28, mouse 4-1BB,
and mouse CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling domains
13 (DC101- DC101 Mouse CD8 extracellular hinge and mCD828Z)
transmembrane domains Mouse CD28 and mouse CD3.zeta. intracellular
signaling domains 14 (DC101- DC101 Human CD 8 extracellular hinge,
hCD828BBZ) transmembrane and intracellular hinge domains Human
CD28, human 4-1BB, and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell
receptor signaling domains 15 (DC101- DC101 Human CD28
extracellular hinge and hCD28Z) transmembrane domains Human CD28
and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling
domains
[0048] The invention also provides related nucleic acids,
recombinant expression vectors, host cells, populations of cells,
antibodies, or antigen binding portions thereof, and pharmaceutical
compositions relating to the CARs of the invention.
[0049] Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of
detecting the presence of cancer in a host, comprising: (a)
contacting a sample comprising one or more cells from the host with
the CARs, the nucleic acids, the recombinant expression vectors,
the host cells, the population of cells, the antibodies, and/or the
antigen binding portions thereof of the invention, thereby forming
a complex, (b) and detecting the complex, wherein detection of the
complex is indicative of the presence of cancer in the host.
[0050] Another embodiment of the invention provides a method of
treating or preventing cancer in a host, comprising administering
to the host the CARs, the nucleic acids, the recombinant expression
vectors, the host cells, the population of cells, the antibodies,
and/or the antigen binding portions thereof of the invention in an
amount effective to treat or prevent cancer in the host.
[0051] The host referred to herein can be any host. The host may be
a mammal. As used herein, the term "mammal" refers to any mammal,
including, but not limited to, mammals of the order Rodentia, such
as mice and hamsters, and mammals of the order Logomorpha, such as
rabbits. The mammals may be from the order Carnivora, including
Felines (cats) and Canines (dogs). The mammals may be from the
order Artiodactyla, including Bovines (cows) and Swines (pigs) or
of the order Perssodactyla, including Equines (horses). The mammals
may be of the order Primates, Ceboids, or Simoids (monkeys) or of
the order Anthropoids (humans and apes). Preferably, the mammal is
a human.
[0052] The term "functional portion" when used in reference to a
CAR refers to any part or fragment of the CAR of the invention,
which part or fragment retains the biological activity of the CAR
of which it is a part (the parent CAR). Functional portions
encompass, for example, those parts of a CAR that retain the
ability to recognize target cells, or detect, treat, or prevent a
disease, to a similar extent, the same extent, or to a higher
extent, as the parent CAR. In reference to the parent CAR, the
functional portion can comprise, for instance, about 10%, 25%, 30%,
50%, 68%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or more, of the parent CAR.
[0053] The functional portion can comprise additional amino acids
at the amino or carboxy terminus of the portion, or at both
termini, which additional amino acids are not found in the amino
acid sequence of the parent CAR. Desirably, the additional amino
acids do not interfere with the biological function of the
functional portion, e.g., recognize target cells, detect cancer,
treat or prevent cancer, etc. More desirably, the additional amino
acids enhance the biological activity, as compared to the
biological activity of the parent CAR.
[0054] Included in the scope of the invention are functional
variants of the inventive CARs, polypeptides, and proteins
described herein. The term "functional variant" as used herein
refers to a CAR, polypeptide, or protein having substantial or
significant sequence identity or similarity to a parent CAR,
polypeptide, or protein, which functional variant retains the
biological activity of the CAR, polypeptide, or protein of which it
is a variant. Functional variants encompass, for example, those
variants of the CAR, polypeptide, or protein described herein (the
parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein) that retain the ability to
recognize target cells to a similar extent, the same extent, or to
a higher extent, as the parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein. In
reference to the parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein, the
functional variant can, for instance, be at least about 30%, 50%,
75%, 80%, 90%, 98% or more identical in amino acid sequence to the
parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein.
[0055] A functional variant can, for example, comprise the amino
acid sequence of the parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein with at
least one conservative amino acid substitution. Alternatively or
additionally, the functional variants can comprise the amino acid
sequence of the parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein with at least
one non-conservative amino acid substitution. In this case, it is
preferable for the non-conservative amino acid substitution to not
interfere with or inhibit the biological activity of the functional
variant. The non-conservative amino acid substitution may enhance
the biological activity of the functional variant, such that the
biological activity of the functional variant is increased as
compared to the parent CAR, polypeptide, or protein.
[0056] Amino acid substitutions of the inventive CARs are
preferably conservative amino acid substitutions. Conservative
amino acid substitutions are known in the art, and include amino
acid substitutions in which one amino acid having certain physical
and/or chemical properties is exchanged for another amino acid that
has the same or similar chemical or physical properties. For
instance, the conservative amino acid substitution can be an acidic
amino acid substituted for another acidic amino acid (e.g., Asp or
Glu), an amino acid with a nonpolar side chain substituted for
another amino acid with a nonpolar side chain (e.g., Ala, Gly, Val,
Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, Pro, Trp, Val, etc.), a basic amino acid
substituted for another basic amino acid (Lys, Arg, etc.), an amino
acid with a polar side chain substituted for another amino acid
with a polar side chain (Asn, Cys, Gln, Ser, Thr, Tyr, etc.),
etc.
[0057] The CAR, polypeptide, or protein can consist essentially of
the specified amino acid sequence or sequences described herein,
such that other components e.g., other amino acids, do not
materially change the biological activity of the functional
variant.
[0058] The CARs, polypeptides, and proteins of embodiments of the
invention (including functional portions and functional variants)
can be of any length, i.e., can comprise any number of amino acids,
provided that the CARs, polypeptides, or proteins (or functional
portions or functional variants thereof) retain their biological
activity, e.g., the ability to specifically bind to antigen, detect
diseased cells in a host, or treat or prevent disease in a host,
etc. For example, the polypeptide can be about 50 to about 5000
amino acids long, such as 50, 70, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 300,
400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000 or more amino acids in length.
In this regard, the polypeptides of the invention also include
oligopeptides.
[0059] The CARs, polypeptides, and proteins of embodiments of the
invention (including functional portions and functional variants of
the invention) can comprise synthetic amino acids in place of one
or more naturally-occurring amino acids. Such synthetic amino acids
are known in the art, and include, for example, aminocyclohexane
carboxylic acid, norleucine, .alpha.-amino n-decanoic acid,
homoserine, S-acetylaminomethyl-cysteine, trans-3- and
trans-4-hydroxyproline, 4-aminophenylalanine, 4-nitrophenylalanine,
4-chlorophenylalanine, 4-carboxyphenylalanine, .beta.-phenylserine
.rho.-hydroxyphenylalanine, phenylglycine, .alpha.-naphthylalanine,
cyclohexylalanine, cyclohexylglycine, indoline-2-carboxylic acid,
1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, aminomalonic
acid, aminomalonic acid monoamide, N'-benzyl-N'-methyl-lysine,
N',N'-dibenzyl-lysine, 6-hydroxylysine, ornithine,
.alpha.-aminocyclopentane carboxylic acid, .alpha.-aminocyclohexane
carboxylic acid, .alpha.-aminocycloheptane carboxylic acid,
.alpha.-(2-amino-2-norbornane)-carboxylic acid,
.alpha.,.gamma.-diaminobutyric acid,
.alpha.,.beta.-diaminopropionic acid, homophenylalanine, and
.alpha.-tert-butylglycine.
[0060] The CARs, polypeptides, and proteins of embodiments of the
invention (including functional portions and functional variants)
can be glycosylated, amidated, carboxylated, phosphorylated,
esterified, N-acylated, cyclized via, e.g., a disulfide bridge, or
converted into an acid addition salt and/or optionally dimerized or
polymerized, or conjugated.
[0061] The CARs, polypeptides, and/or proteins of embodiments of
the invention (including functional portions and functional
variants thereof) can be obtained by methods known in the art.
Suitable methods of de novo synthesizing polypeptides and proteins
are described in references, such as Chan et al., Fmoc Solid Phase
Peptide Synthesis, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom,
2000; Peptide and Protein Drug Analysis, ed. Reid, R., Marcel
Dekker, Inc., 2000; Epitope Mapping, ed. Westwood et al., Oxford
University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2001; and U.S. Pat. No.
5,449,752. Also, polypeptides and proteins can be recombinantly
produced using the nucleic acids described herein using standard
recombinant methods. See, for instance, Sambrook et al., Molecular
Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3.sup.rd ed., Cold Spring Harbor
Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 2001; and Ausubel et al., Current
Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publishing Associates and
John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1994. Further, some of the CARs,
polypeptides, and proteins of the invention (including functional
portions and functional variants thereof) can be isolated and/or
purified from a source, such as a plant, a bacterium, an insect, a
mammal, e.g., a rat, a human, etc. Methods of isolation and
purification are well-known in the art. Alternatively, the CARs,
polypeptides, and/or proteins described herein (including
functional portions and functional variants thereof) can be
commercially synthesized by companies, such as Synpep (Dublin,
Calif.), Peptide Technologies Corp. (Gaithersburg, Md.), and
Multiple Peptide Systems (San Diego, Calif.). In this respect, the
inventive CARs, polypeptides, and proteins can be synthetic,
recombinant, isolated, and/or purified.
[0062] An embodiment of the invention further provides an antibody,
or antigen binding portion thereof, which specifically binds to an
epitope of the CARs of the invention. The antibody can be any type
of immunoglobulin that is known in the art. For instance, the
antibody can be of any isotype, e.g., IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, IgM, etc.
The antibody can be monoclonal or polyclonal. The antibody can be a
naturally-occurring antibody, e.g., an antibody isolated and/or
purified from a mammal, e.g., mouse, rabbit, goat, horse, chicken,
hamster, human, etc. Alternatively, the antibody can be a
genetically-engineered antibody, e.g., a humanized antibody or a
chimeric antibody. The antibody can be in monomeric or polymeric
form. Also, the antibody can have any level of affinity or avidity
for the functional portion of the inventive CAR.
[0063] Methods of testing antibodies for the ability to bind to any
functional portion of the inventive CAR are known in the art and
include any antibody-antigen binding assay, such as, for example,
radioimmunoassay (RIA), ELISA, Western blot, immunoprecipitation,
and competitive inhibition assays (see, e.g., Janeway et al.,
infra, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0197266
A1).
[0064] Suitable methods of making antibodies are known in the art.
For instance, standard hybridoma methods are described in, e.g.,
Kohler and Milstein, Eur. Immunol., 5, 511-519 (1976), Harlow and
Lane (eds.), Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, CSH Press (1988), and
C.A. Janeway et al. (eds.), Immunobiology, 5.sup.th Ed., Garland
Publishing, New York, N.Y. (2001)). Alternatively, other methods,
such as EBV-hybridoma methods (Haskard and Archer, J. Immunol.
Methods, 74(2), 361-67 (1984), and Roder et al., Methods Enzymol.,
121, 140-67 (1986)), and bacteriophage vector expression systems
(see, e.g., Huse et al., Science, 246, 1275-81 (1989)) are known in
the art. Further, methods of producing antibodies in non-human
animals are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,806,
5,569,825, and 5,714,352, and U.S. Patent Application Publication
No. 2002/0197266 A1).
[0065] Phage display furthermore can be used to generate an
antibody. In this regard, phage libraries encoding antigen-binding
variable (V) domains of antibodies can be generated using standard
molecular biology and recombinant DNA techniques (see, e.g.,
Sambrook et al., supra, and Ausubel et al., supra). Phage encoding
a variable region with the desired specificity are selected for
specific binding to the desired antigen, and a complete or partial
antibody is reconstituted comprising the selected variable domain.
Nucleic acid sequences encoding the reconstituted antibody are
introduced into a suitable cell line, such as a myeloma cell used
for hybridoma production, such that antibodies having the
characteristics of monoclonal antibodies are secreted by the cell
(see, e.g., Janeway et al., supra, Huse et al., supra, and U.S.
Pat. No. 6,265,150).
[0066] Antibodies can be produced by transgenic mice that are
transgenic for specific heavy and light chain immunoglobulin genes.
Such methods are known in the art and described in, for example
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,806 and 5,569,825, and Janeway et al.,
supra.
[0067] Methods for generating humanized antibodies are well known
in the art and are described in detail in, for example, Janeway et
al., supra, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,225,539, 5,585,089 and 5,693,761,
European Patent No. 0239400 B1, and United Kingdom Patent No.
2188638. Humanized antibodies can also be generated using the
antibody resurfacing technology described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,639,641 and Pedersen et al., J. Mol. Biol., 235, 959-973
(1994).
[0068] An embodiment of the invention also provides antigen binding
portions of any of the antibodies described herein. The antigen
binding portion can be any portion that has at least one antigen
binding site, such as Fab, F(ab').sub.2, dsFv, sFv, diabodies, and
triabodies.
[0069] A single-chain variable region fragment (sFv) antibody
fragment, which is a truncated Fab fragment including the variable
(V) domain of an antibody heavy chain linked to a V domain of a
light antibody chain via a synthetic peptide, can be generated
using routine recombinant DNA technology techniques (see, e.g.,
Janeway et al., supra). Similarly, disulfide-stabilized variable
region fragments (dsFv) can be prepared by recombinant DNA
technology (see, e.g., Reiter et al., Protein Engineering, 7,
697-704 (1994)). Antibody fragments of the invention, however, are
not limited to these exemplary types of antibody fragments.
[0070] Also, the antibody, or antigen binding portion thereof, can
be modified to comprise a detectable label, such as, for instance,
a radioisotope, a fluorophore (e.g., fluorescein isothiocyanate
(FITC), phycoerythrin (PE)), an enzyme (e.g., alkaline phosphatase,
horseradish peroxidase), and element particles (e.g., gold
particles).
[0071] Further provided by an embodiment of the invention is a
nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding any of the
CARs, polypeptides, or proteins described herein (including
functional portions and functional variants thereof). In this
regard, an embodiment of the invention provides nucleic acids
comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the
nucleotide sequences of Table 2:
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 SEQ ID NO scFv Further Components 16 (KDR-
KDR- Human CD8 extracellular hinge, hCD828BBZ) 1121 transmembrane
and intracellular hinge domains Human CD28, human 4-1BB, and human
CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling domains 17 (KDR-
KDR- Human CD28 extracellular hinge and hCD28Z) 1121 transmembrane
domains Human CD28 and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell
receptor signaling domains 18 (DC101- DC101 Mouse CD8 extracellular
hinge and mCD828BBZ) transmembrane domains Mouse CD28, mouse 4-1BB,
and mouse CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling domains
19 (DC101- DC101 Mouse CD8 extracellular hinge and mCD828Z)
transmembrane domains Mouse CD28 and mouse CD3.zeta. intracellular
signaling domains 20 (DC101- DC101 Human CD8 extracellular hinge,
hCD828BBZ) transmembrane and intracellular hinge domains Human
CD28, human 4-1BB, and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell
receptor signaling domains 21 (DC101- DC101 Human CD28
extracellular hinge and hCD28Z) transmembrane domains Human CD28
and human CD3.zeta. intracellular T cell receptor signaling
domains
[0072] "Nucleic acid" as used herein includes "polynucleotide,"
"oligonucleotide," and "nucleic acid molecule," and generally means
a polymer of DNA or RNA, which can be single-stranded or
double-stranded, synthesized or obtained (e.g., isolated and/or
purified) from natural sources, which can contain natural,
non-natural or altered nucleotides, and which can contain a
natural, non-natural or altered internucleotide linkage, such as a
phosphoroamidate linkage or a phosphorothioate linkage, instead of
the phosphodiester found between the nucleotides of an unmodified
oligonucleotide. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid does not
comprise any insertions, deletions, inversions, and/or
substitutions. However, it may be suitable in some instances, as
discussed herein, for the nucleic acid to comprise one or more
insertions, deletions, inversions, and/or substitutions.
[0073] The nucleic acids of an embodiment of the invention may be
recombinant. As used herein, the term "recombinant" refers to (i)
molecules that are constructed outside living cells by joining
natural or synthetic nucleic acid segments to nucleic acid
molecules that can replicate in a living cell, or (ii) molecules
that result from the replication of those described in (i) above.
For purposes herein, the replication can be in vitro replication or
in vivo replication.
[0074] A recombinant nucleic acid may be one that has a sequence
that is not naturally occurring or has a sequence that is made by
an artificial combination of two otherwise separated segments of
sequence. This artificial combination is often accomplished by
chemical synthesis or, more commonly, by the artificial
manipulation of isolated segments of nucleic acids, e.g., by
genetic engineering techniques, such as those described in Sambrook
et al., supra. The nucleic acids can be constructed based on
chemical synthesis and/or enzymatic ligation reactions using
procedures known in the art. See, for example, Sambrook et al.,
supra, and Ausubel et al., supra. For example, a nucleic acid can
be chemically synthesized using naturally occurring nucleotides or
variously modified nucleotides designed to increase the biological
stability of the molecules or to increase the physical stability of
the duplex formed upon hybridization (e.g., phosphorothioate
derivatives and acridine substituted nucleotides). Examples of
modified nucleotides that can be used to generate the nucleic acids
include, but are not limited to, 5-fluorouracil, 5-bromouracil,
5-chlorouracil, 5-iodouracil, hypoxanthine, xanthine,
4-acetylcytosine, 5-(carboxyhydroxymethyl) uracil,
5-carboxymethylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine,
5-carboxymethylaminomethyluracil, dihydrouracil,
beta-D-galactosylqueosine, inosine, N.sup.6-isopentenyladenine,
1-methylguanine, 1-methylinosine, 2,2-dimethylguanine,
2-methyladenine, 2-methylguanine, 3-methylcytosine,
5-methylcytosine, N.sup.6-substituted adenine, 7-methylguanine,
5-methylaminomethyluracil, 5-methoxyaminomethyl-2-thiouracil,
beta-D-mannosylqueosine, 5'-methoxycarboxymethyluracil,
5-methoxyuracil, 2-methylthio-N.sup.6-isopentenyladenine,
uracil-5-oxyacetic acid (v), wybutoxosine, pseudouracil, queosine,
2-thiocytosine, 5-methyl-2-thiouracil, 2-thiouracil, 4-thiouracil,
5-methyluracil, uracil-5-oxyacetic acid methylester,
3-(3-amino-3-N-2-carboxypropyl) uracil, and 2,6-diaminopurine.
Alternatively, one or more of the nucleic acids of the invention
can be purchased from companies, such as Macromolecular Resources
(Fort Collins, Colo.) and Synthegen (Houston, Tex.).
[0075] The nucleic acid can comprise any isolated or purified
nucleotide sequence which encodes any of the CARs, polypeptides, or
proteins, or functional portions or functional variants thereof.
Alternatively, the nucleotide sequence can comprise a nucleotide
sequence which is degenerate to any of the sequences or a
combination of degenerate sequences.
[0076] An embodiment of the invention also provides an isolated or
purified nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence which is
complementary to the nucleotide sequence of any of the nucleic
acids described herein or a nucleotide sequence which hybridizes
under stringent conditions to the nucleotide sequence of any of the
nucleic acids described herein.
[0077] The nucleotide sequence which hybridizes under stringent
conditions may hybridize under high stringency conditions. By "high
stringency conditions" is meant that the nucleotide sequence
specifically hybridizes to a target sequence (the nucleotide
sequence of any of the nucleic acids described herein) in an amount
that is detectably stronger than non-specific hybridization. High
stringency conditions include conditions which would distinguish a
polynucleotide with an exact complementary sequence, or one
containing only a few scattered mismatches from a random sequence
that happened to have a few small regions (e.g., 3-10 bases) that
matched the nucleotide sequence. Such small regions of
complementarity are more easily melted than a full-length
complement of 14-17 or more bases, and high stringency
hybridization makes them easily distinguishable. Relatively high
stringency conditions would include, for example, low salt and/or
high temperature conditions, such as provided by about 0.02-0.1 M
NaCl or the equivalent, at temperatures of about 50-70.degree. C.
Such high stringency conditions tolerate little, if any, mismatch
between the nucleotide sequence and the template or target strand,
and are particularly suitable for detecting expression of any of
the inventive CARs. It is generally appreciated that conditions can
be rendered more stringent by the addition of increasing amounts of
formamide.
[0078] In an embodiment, the nucleic acids of the invention can be
incorporated into a recombinant expression vector. In this regard,
an embodiment of the invention provides recombinant expression
vectors comprising any of the nucleic acids of the invention. For
purposes herein, the term "recombinant expression vector" means a
genetically-modified oligonucleotide or polynucleotide construct
that permits the expression of an mRNA, protein, polypeptide, or
peptide by a host cell, when the construct comprises a nucleotide
sequence encoding the mRNA, protein, polypeptide, or peptide, and
the vector is contacted with the cell under conditions sufficient
to have the mRNA, protein, polypeptide, or peptide expressed within
the cell. The vectors of the invention are not naturally-occurring
as a whole. However, parts of the vectors can be
naturally-occurring. The inventive recombinant expression vectors
can comprise any type of nucleotides, including, but not limited to
DNA and RNA, which can be single-stranded or double-stranded,
synthesized or obtained in part from natural sources, and which can
contain natural, non-natural or altered nucleotides. The
recombinant expression vectors can comprise naturally-occurring or
non-naturally-occurring internucleotide linkages, or both types of
linkages. Preferably, the non-naturally occurring or altered
nucleotides or internucleotide linkages do not hinder the
transcription or replication of the vector.
[0079] In an embodiment, the recombinant expression vector of the
invention can be any suitable recombinant expression vector, and
can be used to transform or transfect any suitable host. Suitable
vectors include those designed for propagation and expansion or for
expression or both, such as plasmids and viruses. The vector can be
selected from the group consisting of the pUC series (Fermentas
Life Sciences, Glen Burnie, Md.), the pBluescript series
(Stratagene, LaJolla, Calif.), the pET series (Novagen, Madison,
Wis.), the pGEX series (Pharmacia Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden), and
the pEX series (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.). Bacteriophage
vectors, such as .lamda.GT10, .lamda.GT11, .lamda.ZapII
(Stratagene), .lamda.EMBL4, and .lamda.NM1149, also can be used.
Examples of plant expression vectors include pBI01, pBI101.2,
pBI101.3, pBI121 and pBIN19 (Clontech). Examples of animal
expression vectors include pEUK-C1, pMAM, and pMAMneo (Clontech).
The recombinant expression vector may be a viral vector, e.g., a
retroviral vector.
[0080] In an embodiment, the recombinant expression vectors of the
invention can be prepared using standard recombinant DNA techniques
described in, for example, Sambrook et al., supra, and Ausubel et
al., supra. Constructs of expression vectors, which are circular or
linear, can be prepared to contain a replication system functional
in a prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cell. Replication systems can
be derived, e.g., from ColEl, 2.mu. plasmid, SV40, bovine papilloma
virus, and the like.
[0081] The recombinant expression vector may comprise regulatory
sequences, such as transcription and translation initiation and
termination codons, which are specific to the type of host (e.g.,
bacterium, fungus, plant, or animal) into which the vector is to be
introduced, as appropriate, and taking into consideration whether
the vector is DNA- or RNA-based.
[0082] The recombinant expression vector can include one or more
marker genes, which allow for selection of transformed or
transfected hosts. Marker genes include biocide resistance, e.g.,
resistance to antibiotics, heavy metals, etc., complementation in
an auxotrophic host to provide prototrophy, and the like. Suitable
marker genes for the inventive expression vectors include, for
instance, neomycin/G418 resistance genes, hygromycin resistance
genes, histidinol resistance genes, tetracycline resistance genes,
and ampicillin resistance genes.
[0083] The recombinant expression vector can comprise a native or
nonnative promoter operably linked to the nucleotide sequence
encoding the CAR, polypeptide, or protein (including functional
portions and functional variants thereof), or to the nucleotide
sequence which is complementary to or which hybridizes to the
nucleotide sequence encoding the CAR, polypeptide, or protein. The
selection of promoters, e.g., strong, weak, inducible,
tissue-specific and developmental-specific, is within the ordinary
skill of the artisan. Similarly, the combining of a nucleotide
sequence with a promoter is also within the skill of the artisan.
The promoter can be a non-viral promoter or a viral promoter, e.g.,
a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, an SV40 promoter, an RSV
promoter, or a promoter found in the long-terminal repeat of the
murine stem cell virus.
[0084] The inventive recombinant expression vectors can be designed
for either transient expression, for stable expression, or for
both. Also, the recombinant expression vectors can be made for
constitutive expression or for inducible expression.
[0085] Further, the recombinant expression vectors can be made to
include a suicide gene. As used herein, the term "suicide gene"
refers to a gene that causes the cell expressing the suicide gene
to die. The suicide gene can be a gene that confers sensitivity to
an agent, e.g., a drug, upon the cell in which the gene is
expressed, and causes the cell to die when the cell is contacted
with or exposed to the agent. Suicide genes are known in the art
(see, for example, Suicide Gene Therapy: Methods and Reviews,
Springer, Caroline J. (Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer
Therapeutics at the Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey,
UK), Humana Press, 2004) and include, for example, the Herpes
Simplex Virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (TK) gene, cytosine daminase,
purine nucleoside phosphorylase, and nitroreductase.
[0086] Included in the scope of the invention are conjugates, e.g.,
bioconjugates, comprising any of the inventive CARs, polypeptides,
or proteins (including any of the functional portions or variants
thereof), nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host
cells, populations of host cells, or antibodies, or antigen binding
portions thereof. Conjugates, as well as methods of synthesizing
conjugates in general, are known in the art (See, for instance,
Hudecz, F., Methods Mol. Biol. 298: 209-223 (2005) and Kirin et
al., Inorg Chem. 44(15): 5405-5415 (2005)).
[0087] An embodiment of the invention further provides a host cell
comprising any of the recombinant expression vectors described
herein. As used herein, the term "host cell" refers to any type of
cell that can contain the inventive recombinant expression vector.
The host cell can be a eukaryotic cell, e.g., plant, animal, fungi,
or algae, or can be a prokaryotic cell, e.g., bacteria or protozoa.
The host cell can be a cultured cell or a primary cell, i.e.,
isolated directly from an organism, e.g., a human. The host cell
can be an adherent cell or a suspended cell, i.e., a cell that
grows in suspension. Suitable host cells are known in the art and
include, for instance, DH5a E. coli cells, Chinese hamster ovarian
cells, monkey VERO cells, COS cells, HEK293 cells, and the like.
For purposes of amplifying or replicating the recombinant
expression vector, the host cell may be a prokaryotic cell, e.g., a
DH5a cell. For purposes of producing a recombinant CAR,
polypeptide, or protein, the host cell may be a mammalian cell. The
host cell may be a human cell. While the host cell can be of any
cell type, can originate from any type of tissue, and can be of any
developmental stage, the host cell may be a peripheral blood
lymphocyte (PBL). The host cell may be a T cell.
[0088] For purposes herein, the T cell can be any T cell, such as a
cultured T cell, e.g., a primary T cell, or a T cell from a
cultured T cell line, e.g., Jurkat, SupT1, etc., or a T cell
obtained from a mammal. If obtained from a mammal, the T cell can
be obtained from numerous sources, including but not limited to
blood, bone marrow, lymph node, the thymus, or other tissues or
fluids. T cells can also be enriched for or purified. The T cell
may be a human T cell. The T cell may be a T cell isolated from a
human. The T cell can be any type of T cell and can be of any
developmental stage, including but not limited to,
CD4.sup.+/CD8.sup.+double positive T cells, CD4.sup.+helper T
cells, e.g., Th.sub.1 and Th.sub.2 cells, CD8.sup.+ T cells (e.g.,
cytotoxic T cells), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs),
peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs), tumor infiltrating cells,
memory T cells, naive T cells, and the like. The T cell may be a
CD8.sup.+ T cell or a CD4.sup.+ T cell.
[0089] Also provided by an embodiment of the invention is a
population of cells comprising at least one host cell described
herein. The population of cells can be a heterogeneous population
comprising the host cell comprising any of the recombinant
expression vectors described, in addition to at least one other
cell, e.g., a host cell (e.g., a T cell), which does not comprise
any of the recombinant expression vectors, or a cell other than a T
cell, e.g., a B cell, a macrophage, a neutrophil, an erythrocyte, a
hepatocyte, an endothelial cell, an epithelial cell, a muscle cell,
a brain cell, etc. Alternatively, the population of cells can be a
substantially homogeneous population, in which the population
comprises mainly of host cells (e.g., consisting essentially of)
comprising the recombinant expression vector. The population also
can be a clonal population of cells, in which all cells of the
population are clones of a single host cell comprising a
recombinant expression vector, such that all cells of the
population comprise the recombinant expression vector. In one
embodiment of the invention, the population of cells is a clonal
population comprising host cells comprising a recombinant
expression vector as described herein.
[0090] CARs, polypeptides, proteins (including functional portions
and variants thereof), nucleic acids, recombinant expression
vectors, host cells (including populations thereof), and antibodies
(including antigen binding portions thereof), all of which are
collectively referred to as "inventive CAR materials" hereinafter,
can be isolated and/or purified. The term "isolated" as used herein
means having been removed from its natural environment. The term
"purified" or "isolated" does not require absolute purity or
isolation; rather, it is intended as a relative term. Thus, for
example, a purified (or isolated) host cell preparation is one in
which the host cell is more pure than cells in their natural
environment within the body. Such host cells may be produced, for
example, by standard purification techniques. In some embodiments,
a preparation of a host cell is purified such that the host cell
represents at least about 50%, for example at least about 70%, of
the total cell content of the preparation. For example, the purity
can be at least about 50%, can be greater than about 60%, about 70%
or about 80%, or can be about 100%.
[0091] The inventive CAR materials can be formulated into a
composition, such as a pharmaceutical composition. In this regard,
an embodiment of the invention provides a pharmaceutical
composition comprising any of the CARs, polypeptides, proteins,
functional portions, functional variants, nucleic acids, expression
vectors, host cells (including populations thereof), and antibodies
(including antigen binding portions thereof), and a
pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The inventive pharmaceutical
compositions containing any of the inventive CAR materials can
comprise more than one inventive CAR material, e.g., a polypeptide
and a nucleic acid, or two or more different CARs. Alternatively,
the pharmaceutical composition can comprise an inventive CAR
material in combination with other pharmaceutically active agents
or drugs, such as chemotherapeutic agents, e.g., asparaginase,
busulfan, carboplatin, cisplatin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin,
fluorouracil, gemcitabine, hydroxyurea, methotrexate, paclitaxel,
rituximab, vinblastine, vincristine, etc. In a preferred
embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition comprises the inventive
host cell or populations thereof.
[0092] The inventive CAR materials can be provided in the form of a
salt, e.g., a pharmaceutically acceptable salt. Suitable
pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts include those
derived from mineral acids, such as hydrochloric, hydrobromic,
phosphoric, metaphosphoric, nitric, and sulphuric acids, and
organic acids, such as tartaric, acetic, citric, malic, lactic,
fumaric, benzoic, glycolic, gluconic, succinic, and arylsulphonic
acids, for example, p-toluenesulphonic acid.
[0093] With respect to pharmaceutical compositions, the
pharamaceutically acceptable carrier can be any of those
conventionally used and is limited only by chemico-physical
considerations, such as solubility and lack of reactivity with the
active agent(s), and by the route of administration. The
pharmaceutically acceptable carriers described herein, for example,
vehicles, adjuvants, excipients, and diluents, are well-known to
those skilled in the art and are readily available to the public.
It is preferred that the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier be one
which is chemically inert to the active agent(s) and one which has
no detrimental side effects or toxicity under the conditions of
use.
[0094] The choice of carrier will be determined in part by the
particular inventive CAR material, as well as by the particular
method used to administer the inventive CAR material. Accordingly,
there are a variety of suitable formulations of the pharmaceutical
composition of the invention. Preservatives may be used. Suitable
preservatives may include, for example, methylparaben,
propylparaben, sodium benzoate, and benzalkonium chloride. A
mixture of two or more preservatives optionally may be used. The
preservative or mixtures thereof are typically present in an amount
of about 0.0001% to about 2% by weight of the total
composition.
[0095] Suitable buffering agents may include, for example, citric
acid, sodium citrate, phosphoric acid, potassium phosphate, and
various other acids and salts. A mixture of two or more buffering
agents optionally may be used. The buffering agent or mixtures
thereof are typically present in an amount of about 0.001% to about
4% by weight of the total composition.
[0096] The concentration of inventive CAR material in the
pharmaceutical formulations can vary, e.g., from less than about
1%, usually at or at least about 10%, to as much as about 20% to
about 50% or more by weight, and can be selected primarily by fluid
volumes, and viscosities, in accordance with the particular mode of
administration selected.
[0097] Methods for preparing administrable (e.g., parenterally
administrable) compositions are known or apparent to those skilled
in the art and are described in more detail in, for example,
Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins; 21st ed. (May 1, 2005).
[0098] The following formulations for oral, aerosol, parenteral
(e.g., subcutaneous, intravenous, intraarterial, intramuscular,
intradermal, interperitoneal, and intrathecal), and topical
administration are merely exemplary and are in no way limiting.
More than one route can be used to administer the inventive CAR
materials, and in certain instances, a particular route can provide
a more immediate and more effective response than another
route.
[0099] Formulations suitable for oral administration can comprise
or consist of (a) liquid solutions, such as an effective amount of
the inventive CAR material dissolved in diluents, such as water,
saline, or orange juice; (b) capsules, sachets, tablets, lozenges,
and troches, each containing a predetermined amount of the active
ingredient, as solids or granules; (c) powders; (d) suspensions in
an appropriate liquid; and (e) suitable emulsions. Liquid
formulations may include diluents, such as water and alcohols, for
example, ethanol, benzyl alcohol, and the polyethylene alcohols,
either with or without the addition of a pharmaceutically
acceptable surfactant. Capsule forms can be of the ordinary hard or
softshelled gelatin type containing, for example, surfactants,
lubricants, and inert fillers, such as lactose, sucrose, calcium
phosphate, and corn starch. Tablet forms can include one or more of
lactose, sucrose, mannitol, corn starch, potato starch, alginic
acid, microcrystalline cellulose, acacia, gelatin, guar gum,
colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, talc, magnesium
stearate, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, stearic acid, and other
excipients, colorants, diluents, buffering agents, disintegrating
agents, moistening agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, and
other pharmacologically compatible excipients. Lozenge forms can
comprise the inventive CAR material in a flavor, usually sucrose
and acacia or tragacanth, as well as pastilles comprising the
inventive CAR material in an inert base, such as gelatin and
glycerin, or sucrose and acacia, emulsions, gels, and the like
containing, in addition to, such excipients as are known in the
art.
[0100] Formulations suitable for parenteral administration include
aqueous and nonaqueous isotonic sterile injection solutions, which
can contain antioxidants, buffers, bacteriostats, and solutes that
render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended
recipient, and aqueous and nonaqueous sterile suspensions that can
include suspending agents, solubilizers, thickening agents,
stabilizers, and preservatives. The inventive CAR material can be
administered in a physiologically acceptable diluent in a
pharmaceutical carrier, such as a sterile liquid or mixture of
liquids, including water, saline, aqueous dextrose and related
sugar solutions, an alcohol, such as ethanol or hexadecyl alcohol,
a glycol, such as propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol,
dimethylsulfoxide, glycerol, ketals such as
2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol, ethers, poly(ethyleneglycol)
400, oils, fatty acids, fatty acid esters or glycerides, or
acetylated fatty acid glycerides with or without the addition of a
pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant, such as a soap or a
detergent, suspending agent, such as pectin, carbomers,
methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, or
carboxymethylcellulose, or emulsifying agents and other
pharmaceutical adjuvants.
[0101] Oils, which can be used in parenteral formulations include
petroleum, animal, vegetable, or synthetic oils. Specific examples
of oils include peanut, soybean, sesame, cottonseed, corn, olive,
petrolatum, and mineral. Suitable fatty acids for use in parenteral
formulations include oleic acid, stearic acid, and isostearic acid.
Ethyl oleate and isopropyl myristate are examples of suitable fatty
acid esters.
[0102] Suitable soaps for use in parenteral formulations include
fatty alkali metal, ammonium, and triethanolamine salts, and
suitable detergents include (a) cationic detergents such as, for
example, dimethyl dialkyl ammonium halides, and alkyl pyridinium
halides, (b) anionic detergents such as, for example, alkyl, aryl,
and olefin sulfonates, alkyl, olefin, ether, and monoglyceride
sulfates, and sulfosuccinates, (c) nonionic detergents such as, for
example, fatty amine oxides, fatty acid alkanolamides, and
polyoxyethylenepolypropylene copolymers, (d) amphoteric detergents
such as, for example, alkyl-.beta.-aminopropionates, and
2-alkyl-imidazoline quaternary ammonium salts, and (e) mixtures
thereof.
[0103] The parenteral formulations will typically contain, for
example, from about 0.5% to about 25% by weight of the inventive
CAR material in solution. Preservatives and buffers may be used. In
order to minimize or eliminate irritation at the site of injection,
such compositions may contain one or more nonionic surfactants
having, for example, a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of from
about 12 to about 17. The quantity of surfactant in such
formulations will typically range, for example, from about 5% to
about 15% by weight. Suitable surfactants include polyethylene
glycol sorbitan fatty acid esters, such as sorbitan monooleate and
the high molecular weight adducts of ethylene oxide with a
hydrophobic base, formed by the condensation of propylene oxide
with propylene glycol. The parenteral formulations can be presented
in unit-dose or multi-dose sealed containers, such as ampoules and
vials, and can be stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilized) condition
requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid excipient, for
example, water, for injections, immediately prior to use.
Extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions can be prepared
from sterile powders, granules, and tablets of the kind previously
described.
[0104] Injectable formulations are in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention. The requirements for effective pharmaceutical
carriers for injectable compositions are well-known to those of
ordinary skill in the art (see, e.g., Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy
Practice, J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, Pa., Banker and
Chalmers, eds., pages 238-250 (1982), and ASHP Handbook on
Injectable Drugs, Toissel, 4th ed., pages 622-630 (1986)).
[0105] Topical formulations, including those that are useful for
transdermal drug release, are well known to those of skill in the
art and are suitable in the context of embodiments of the invention
for application to skin. The inventive CAR material, alone or in
combination with other suitable components, can be made into
aerosol formulations to be administered via inhalation. These
aerosol formulations can be placed into pressurized acceptable
propellants, such as dichlorodifluoromethane, propane, nitrogen,
and the like. They also may be formulated as pharmaceuticals for
non-pressured preparations, such as in a nebulizer or an atomizer.
Such spray formulations also may be used to spray mucosa.
[0106] An "effective amount" or "an amount effective to treat"
refers to a dose that is adequate to prevent or treat cancer in an
individual. Amounts effective for a therapeutic or prophylactic use
will depend on, for example, the stage and severity of the disease
or disorder being treated, the age, weight, and general state of
health of the patient, and the judgment of the prescribing
physician. The size of the dose will also be determined by the
active selected, method of administration, timing and frequency of
administration, the existence, nature, and extent of any adverse
side-effects that might accompany the administration of a
particular active, and the desired physiological effect. It will be
appreciated by one of skill in the art that various diseases or
disorders could require prolonged treatment involving multiple
administrations, perhaps using the inventive CAR materials in each
or various rounds of administration. By way of example and not
intending to limit the invention, the dose of the inventive CAR
material can be about 0.001 to about 1000 mg/kg body weight of the
subject being treated/day, from about 0.01 to about 10 mg/kg body
weight/day, about 0.01 mg to about 1 mg/kg body weight/day.
[0107] For purposes of the invention, the amount or dose of the
inventive CAR material administered should be sufficient to effect
a therapeutic or prophylactic response in the subject or animal
over a reasonable time frame. For example, the dose of the
inventive CAR material should be sufficient to bind to antigen, or
detect, treat or prevent disease in a period of from about 2 hours
or longer, e.g., about 12 to about 24 or more hours, from the time
of administration. In certain embodiments, the time period could be
even longer. The dose will be determined by the efficacy of the
particular inventive CAR material and the condition of the animal
(e.g., human), as well as the body weight of the animal (e.g.,
human) to be treated.
[0108] For purposes of the invention, an assay, which comprises,
for example, comparing the extent to which target cells are lysed
or IFN-.gamma. is secreted by T cells expressing the inventive CAR,
polypeptide, or protein upon administration of a given dose of such
T cells to a mammal, among a set of mammals of which is each given
a different dose of the T cells, could be used to determine a
starting dose to be administered to a mammal. The extent to which
target cells are lysed or IFN-.gamma. is secreted upon
administration of a certain dose can be assayed by methods known in
the art.
[0109] When the inventive CAR materials are administered with one
or more additional therapeutic agents, one or more additional
therapeutic agents can be coadministered to the mammal. By
"coadministering" is meant administering one or more additional
therapeutic agents and the inventive CAR materials sufficiently
close in time such that the inventive CAR materials can enhance the
effect of one or more additional therapeutic agents, or vice versa.
In this regard, the inventive CAR materials can be administered
first and the one or more additional therapeutic agents can be
administered second, or vice versa. Alternatively, the inventive
CAR materials and the one or more additional therapeutic agents can
be administered simultaneously. An exemplary therapeutic agent that
can be co-administered with the CAR materials is IL-2. It is
believed that IL-2 enhances the therapeutic effect of the inventive
CAR materials. For purposes of the inventive methods, wherein host
cells or populations of cells are administered to the host, the
cells can be cells that are allogeneic or autologous to the
host.
[0110] It is contemplated that the inventive pharmaceutical
compositions, CARs, polypeptides, proteins, nucleic acids,
recombinant expression vectors, host cells, or populations of cells
can be used in methods of treating or preventing a disease in a
host. Without being bound to a particular theory, the inventive
CARs have biological activity, e.g., ability to recognize antigen,
e.g., VEGFR-2, such that the CAR (or related inventive polypeptide
or protein) when expressed by a cell is able to mediate an immune
response against the cell expressing the antigen, e.g., VEGFR-2,
for which the CAR is specific. In this regard, an embodiment of the
invention provides a method of treating or preventing a disease in
a host, comprising administering to the host any of the inventive
CAR materials in an amount effective to treat or prevent the
disease in the host.
[0111] An embodiment of the invention further comprises
lymphodepleting the host prior to administering the inventive CAR
materials.
[0112] With respect to the inventive methods, the cancer can be any
cancer, including any of acute lymphocytic cancer, acute myeloid
leukemia, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, bladder cancer, bone cancer,
brain cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the anus, anal canal, or
anorectum, cancer of the eye, cancer of the intrahepatic bile duct,
cancer of the joints, cancer of the neck, gallbladder, or pleura,
cancer of the nose, nasal cavity, or middle ear, cancer of the oral
cavity, cancer of the vulva, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic
myeloid cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, cervical cancer,
fibrosarcoma, gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor, Hodgkin lymphoma,
hypopharynx cancer, kidney cancer, larynx cancer, leukemia, liquid
tumors, liver cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, malignant
mesothelioma, mastocytoma, melanoma, multiple myeloma, nasopharynx
cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer,
peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery cancer, pharynx cancer, prostate
cancer, rectal cancer, renal cancer, skin cancer, small intestine
cancer, soft tissue cancer, solid tumors, stomach cancer,
testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, ureter cancer, and urinary
bladder cancer. Preferably, the cancer is characterized by an
angiogenic phenotype, e.g., a solid tumor or hematologic
malignancy.
[0113] The terms "treat," and "prevent" as well as words stemming
therefrom, as used herein, do not necessarily imply 100% or
complete treatment or prevention. Rather, there are varying degrees
of treatment or prevention of which one of ordinary skill in the
art recognizes as having a potential benefit or therapeutic effect.
In this respect, the inventive methods can provide any amount of
any level of treatment or prevention of cancer in a mammal.
Furthermore, the treatment or prevention provided by the inventive
method can include treatment or prevention of one or more
conditions or symptoms of the disease, e.g., cancer, being treated
or prevented. Also, for purposes herein, "prevention" can encompass
delaying the onset of the disease, or a symptom or condition
thereof.
[0114] Methods of testing a CAR for the ability to recognize target
cells and for antigen specificity are known in the art. For
instance, Clay et al., J. Immunol., 163: 507-513 (1999), teaches
methods of measuring the release of cytokines (e.g.,
interferon-.gamma., granulocyte/monocyte colony stimulating factor
(GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-.alpha.) or interleukin 2
(IL-2)). In addition, CAR function can be evaluated by measurement
of cellular cytoxicity, as described in Zhao et al., J. Immunol.,
174: 4415-4423 (2005). Methods of testing a CAR for the ability to
recognize target cells and for antigen specificity are described
herein in the Examples section.
[0115] A biopsy is the removal of tissue and/or cells from an
individual. Such removal may be to collect tissue and/or cells from
the individual in order to perform experimentation on the removed
tissue and/or cells. This experimentation may include experiments
to determine if the individual has and/or is suffering from a
certain condition or disease-state. The condition or disease may
be, e.g., cancer.
[0116] With respect to an embodiment of the inventive method of
detecting the presence of cancer in a host, the sample comprising
cells of the host can be a sample comprising whole cells, lysates
thereof, or a fraction of the whole cell lysates, e.g., a nuclear
or cytoplasmic fraction, a whole protein fraction, or a nucleic
acid fraction. If the sample comprises whole cells, the cells can
be any cells of the host, e.g., the cells of any organ or tissue,
including blood cells or endothelial cells.
[0117] In addition to the aforedescribed pharmaceutical
compositions, the inventive CAR materials can be formulated as
inclusion complexes, such as cyclodextrin inclusion complexes, or
liposomes. Liposomes can serve to target the inventive CAR
materials to a particular tissue. Liposomes also can be used to
increase the half-life of the inventive CAR materials. Many methods
are available for preparing liposomes, as described in, for
example, Szoka et al., Ann. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng., 9, 467 (1980)
and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,235,871, 4,501,728, 4,837,028, and
5,019,369.
[0118] The delivery systems useful in the context of embodiments of
the invention may include time-released, delayed release, and
sustained release delivery systems such that the delivery of the
inventive composition occurs prior to, and with sufficient time to
cause, sensitization of the site to be treated. The inventive
composition can be used in conjunction with other therapeutic
agents or therapies. Such systems can avoid repeated
administrations of the inventive composition, thereby increasing
convenience to the subject and the physician, and may be
particularly suitable for certain composition embodiments of the
invention.
[0119] Many types of release delivery systems are available and
known to those of ordinary skill in the art. They include polymer
base systems such as poly(lactide-glycolide), copolyoxalates,
polycaprolactones, polyesteramides, polyorthoesters,
polyhydroxybutyric acid, and polyanhydrides. Microcapsules of the
foregoing polymers containing drugs are described in, for example,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,109. Delivery systems also include non-polymer
systems that are lipids including sterols such as cholesterol,
cholesterol esters, and fatty acids or neutral fats such as
mono-di- and tri-glycerides; hydrogel release systems; sylastic
systems; peptide based systems; wax coatings; compressed tablets
using conventional binders and excipients; partially fused
implants; and the like. Specific examples include, but are not
limited to: (a) erosional systems in which the active composition
is contained in a form within a matrix such as those described in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,775, 4,667,014, 4,748,034, and 5,239,660 and
(b) diffusional systems in which an active component permeates at a
controlled rate from a polymer such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,832,253 and 3,854,480. In addition, pump-based hardware delivery
systems can be used, some of which are adapted for
implantation.
[0120] A number of transfection techniques are generally known in
the art (see, e.g., Graham et al., Virology, 52: 456-467 (1973);
Sambrook et al., supra; Davis et al., Basic Methods in Molecular
Biology, Elsevier (1986); and Chu et al., Gene, 13: 97 (1981).
Transfection methods include calcium phosphate co-precipitation
(see, e.g., Graham et al., supra), direct micro injection into
cultured cells (see, e.g., Capecchi, Cell, 22: 479-488 (1980)),
electroporation (see, e.g., Shigekawa et al., BioTechniques, 6:
742-751 (1988)), liposome mediated gene transfer (see, e.g.,
Mannino et al., BioTechniques, 6: 682-690 (1988)), lipid mediated
transduction (see, e.g., Feigner et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
USA, 84: 7413-7417 (1987)), and nucleic acid delivery using high
velocity microprojectiles (see, e.g., Klein et al., Nature, 327:
70-73 (1987)).
[0121] One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate
that the inventive CAR materials of the invention can be modified
in any number of ways, such that the therapeutic or prophylactic
efficacy of the inventive CAR materials is increased through the
modification. For instance, the inventive CAR materials can be
conjugated either directly or indirectly through a linker to a
targeting moiety. The practice of conjugating compounds, e.g.,
inventive CAR materials, to targeting moieties is known in the art.
See, for instance, Wadwa et al., J. Drug Targeting 3: 111 (1995)
and U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,616.
[0122] Alternatively, the inventive CAR materials can be modified
into a depot form, such that the manner in which the inventive CAR
materials is released into the body to which it is administered is
controlled with respect to time and location within the body (see,
for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,150). Depot forms of inventive CAR
materials can be, for example, an implantable composition
comprising the inventive CAR materials and a porous or non-porous
material, such as a polymer, wherein the inventive CAR materials
are encapsulated by or diffused throughout the material and/or
degradation of the non-porous material. The depot is then implanted
into the desired location within the body and the inventive CAR
materials are released from the implant at a predetermined
rate.
[0123] The following examples further illustrate the invention but,
of course, should not be construed as in any way limiting its
scope.
EXAMPLES
Mice
[0124] Inbred female C57BL/6 (B6) mice were purchased from the
National Cancer Institute-Frederick Cancer Research and Development
Center (Frederick, Md.). BALB/c mice were purchased from the
Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Me.). All animals were housed in
specific, pathogen-free conditions in the National Institutes of
Health animal facility, Bethesda, Md. Mice of 7-9 weeks of age were
used in all experiments, which were performed according to animal
experimental ethics committee guidelines of the National Institutes
of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Cell Culture
[0125] The murine tumor lines used in these examples were B16-F10
(melanoma), MCA-205 (sarcoma), MC38 (colon adenocarcinoma), MB49
(bladder carcinoma), MC17-51 (sarcoma), CT-26 (colon carcinoma),
Renca (renal carcinoma), 4T1 (mammary adenocarcinoma), C-1498
(myeloid leukemia), P815 (mastocytoma), EL-4 (lymphoma) and NIH-3T3
(mouse embryonic fibroblast). B16-F10, MCA-205, MC38, and NIH-3T3
cells were obtained from the cell culture depository of the Surgery
Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
(Bethesda, Md.). CT26 and Renca cells were obtained from Dr. Weiss
(NCI-Frederick, Frederick, Md.). SVEC4-10EHR1, MS 1, and SVR were
transformed mouse endothelial cell lines purchased from American
Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, Va.). eBEND.3 is also a
transformed mouse endothelial cell line (kindly provided by Dr.
Frank Cuttita, Angiogenesis Core Facility at NCI, NIH,
Gaithersburg, Md.). MB49-Flk1 and NIH3T3-F1k1 cells stably
expressing mouse VEGF-2 protein were generated by transducing the
MB49 and NIH-3T3 cell lines with a VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral
vector encoding full length mouse VEGFR-2 (X. Li et al., Stem Cells
25: 2987 (2007)) (kindly provided by Prof. Lena Claesson-Welsh,
Uppsala University, Sweden).
[0126] Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes (PBL) used in these examples
were cryopreserved PBMC obtained by leukapheresis of metastatic
melanoma patients treated at the Surgery Branch, National Cancer
Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Md. The following normal primary human
cells used in these examples were procured from LONZA Walkersville,
Inc. (Walkersville, Md.): microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC)
derived from lung (HMVEC-L) or dermis (HMVEC-D), umbilical vein
endothelial cells (HUVEC), small airway epithelial cells (SAEC),
bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC), renal epithelial cells (HRE),
mammary epithelial cells (HMEC), prostate epithelial cell (PrEC),
smooth muscle myoblasts (HSMM), human primary skin fibroblasts.
Other cell lines used were human embryonic kidney fibroblast cell
lines 293 and 293-KDR, which is a stable transfectant expressing
KDR (kindly provided by Dr. Maria Parkhurst, Surgery Branch,
National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Md.). The retroviral
packaging cell lines 293GP and PG13 were obtained from ATCC. The
human ecotropic packaging cell line Phoenix.TM. Eco was kindly
provided by Gary Nolan, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (also
available from Orbigen Inc., San Diego, Calif.).
[0127] All of the mouse tumor lines described above were maintained
in R10 (RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated
fetal bovine serum (FBS), 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 .mu.g/ml
streptomycin (all from Invitrogen.TM. Corporation, Grand Isle,
N.Y.). All of the mouse endothelial cell lines, NIH-3T3 cells, 293,
293-KDR, 293GP, PG13, and Phoenix.TM. Eco cells were maintained in
D10 (DMEM from Invitrogen.TM. Corporation supplemented with 10%
heat-inactivated FBS, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 .mu.g/m
streptomycin). All of the primary human cells were maintained in
their respective culture media purchased from their manufacturer
(Lonza Walkersville, Inc.). Mouse T cells were cultured in RPMI
1640 containing 10% heat-inactivated FBS, 100 U/ml penicillin, 100
.mu.g/ml streptomycin, 0.05 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 0.1 mM MEM
non-essential amino acids, 1 mM pyruvate, 2 nM L-glutamine (all
from Invitrogen.TM. Corporation), supplemented with 30 IU/ml of
recombinant human interleukin (rhIL)-2 (Chiron, Emeryville,
Calif.), hereafter referred as CM-M. Primary human lymphocytes were
cultured in culture medium (CM-H) containing 50% RPMI1640, 50%
AIM-V medium, 0.05 mM mercaptoethanol (all from Invitrogen.TM.
Corporation), 300 IU/ml rhIL-2, and 10% heat inactivated human AB
serum (Gemini Bio-Products, West Sacramento, Calif.). All of the
cells were cultured at 37.degree. C. under 5% CO.sub.2 and 95%
humidity.
Example 1
[0128] This example demonstrates a method of making a nucleotide
sequence encoding a CAR comprising an antigen binding domain of a
DC101 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0129] All of the constructs were cloned into a retroviral vector
(MSGV) containing a Murine Stem Cell Virus (MSCV) long terminal
repeat (LTR) (known to be relatively resistant to in vivo
silencing), incorporating the splicing and optimized start codon of
the MFG-design of vectors described previously (Hughes, M S. et al.
Hum. Gene Ther. 16: 457-472 (2005)).
[0130] The DC101-CD828BBZ CAR includes a single chain antibody
(ScFv) against mouse VEGFR-2, hereafter referred as DC101 ScFv.
DC101 ScFv comprises the heavy chain (V.sub.H) and light chain
(V.sub.L) variable regions of a rat IgG specific to mouse VEGFR-2,
(DC101; Imclone Systems Inc.) fused by a 218 by linker. The
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR is linked in-frame to the hinge and
transmembrane (TM) regions of the mouse CD8.alpha. chain
(corresponds to nucleotides 580 to 795 of Genbank identifier NM
001081110), which, in turn, is fused to the mouse intracellular
signaling sequences derived from CD28 (corresponds to nucleotides
618 to 740 of Genbank identifier NM 007642), 4-1BB (corresponds to
nucleotides 779 to 913 of Genbank identifier J04492), and CD3.zeta.
(corresponds to nucleotides 313 to 635 of Genbank identifier NM
001113391) molecules.
[0131] The DC101-CD828Z construct has the same components as
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR in a similar configuration and order except that
it lacks the 4-1BB signaling domain.
[0132] A full length, 806 by scFv cDNA designated DC101 ScFv was
constructed using the polymerase chain (PCR) amplification and
assembly technique as follows. The coding sequences for variable
regions of heavy (V.sub.H) and light chains (V.sub.L) were
amplified separately and recombined using a linker by a subsequent
PCR reaction. The first set of PCR reactions were performed to
amplify the leader sequence (LS) and variable region (V.sub.H) of
the heavy chain and also the variable region of light chain
(V.sub.L). The plasmids DC101 HC (clone 8.6) pCR2.1-TOPO and DC101
LC (clone 3.2) pCR2.1-TOPO, containing the heavy and light chain
coding sequences, respectively, of the DC101 antibody (kindly
provided by Dale Ludwig, Imclone Systems Inc.) were used as
templates in the first PCR reaction to generate the LS plus
V.sub.H, and V.sub.L components of DC101 ScFv. The heavy chain
forward primer, Heavy-F (SEQ ID NO: 22), was designed to span
through the 5' end of the heavy chain leader sequence and contains
an XhoI site at its 5' end. The light chain reverse primer, VL-R
(SEQ ID NO: 23), contains a NotI site at its 3' end. The light
chain forward primer, VL-F (SEQ ID NO: 24), was designed to include
part of the 218 by linker sequence and is compatible with the heavy
chain reverse primer, VH-R (SEQ ID NO: 25).
[0133] In the second PCR reaction, the first PCR products, i.e.,
the heavy chain LS plus the V.sub.H and V.sub.L fragments, were
assembled and amplified using the Heavy-F and VL-R primer set which
resulted in the final DC101 ScFv fragment. The synthesized DC101
ScFv DNA fragments were sequence confirmed.
[0134] The nucleotide sequences of the mouse CD8.alpha. hinge and
transmembrane domains and the intracellular signaling domains of
mouse CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. as described earlier were
assembled in-frame in order in two different configurations, i.e.,
CD828BBZ or CD828Z. Both of these fragments were designed to have a
NotI site at 5' end and the SalI and BamH1 sites at 3' end and were
synthesized by GeneArt AG (Regensburg, Germany). The plasmids
encoding these sequences were digested with NotI and BamHI
restriction enzymes (New England Biolabs.RTM., Ipswich, Mass.) and
ligated individually into the similarly digested MSGV vector
plasmid described by Zhao et al. 2009 (in press). This subcloning
step created two interim retroviral constructs, namely:
MSGV-4D5-CD828BBZ and MSGV-4D5-CD828Z. To generate DC101 CAR
encoding retroviral vectors MSGV-DC101-CD828BBZ (referred as
DC101-CD828BBZ) and MSGV-DC101-CD828Z (referred as DC101-CD828Z),
the XhoI and NotI-digested DC101 ScFv fragment was directly ligated
into the MSGV-4D5-CD828BBZ and MSGV-4D5-CD828Z plasmids, replacing
the 4D5 fragment.
[0135] This example demonstrated a method of making a nucleotide
sequence encoding a CAR comprising a DC101 ScFv segment, mouse
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular
mouse T cell signaling CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments. This
example also demonstrated a method of making a nucleotide sequence
encoding a CAR comprising a DC101 ScFv segment, mouse CD8.alpha.
hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular mouse T cell
signaling CD28 and CD3.zeta. segments.
Example 2
[0136] This example demonstrates a method of making a nucleotide
sequence encoding a CAR comprising an antigen binding domain of a
KDR-1121 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0137] The human VEGFR-2 (KDR) specific scFv was derived from
KDR-1121 antibody, a fully human IgG against human KDR protein,
hereafter referred as KDR1121-ScFv. The amino acid sequences of
KDR-1121 V.sub.L and V.sub.H were derived from a published report
(D. Lu et al., J. Biol. Chem. 278: 43496 (2003)). The codon
optimized KDR ScFv comprising the V.sub.L and V.sub.H sequences
linked by a 218 by linker was designed and synthesized using a
web-based DNA codon optimization algorithm (Gao, W. et al.
Biotechnol. Prog. 20, 443-448 (2004)) using the primers generated
by the software (SEQ ID NOs: 29-72). The synthesized KDR1121 ScFv
DNA fragments were sequence confirmed and subcloned in-frame into a
MSGV-based vector containing the human CD28 hinge and transmembrane
sequences linked to the human CD28 and CD3.zeta. intracellular
signaling moieties described previously (J. Maher et al., Nat.
Biotechnol. 20: 70 (2002)) to generate the MSGV-KDR1121CD28Z
vector.
[0138] To obtain the MSGV-KDR1121CD28BBZ vector, the KDR1121 ScFv
was cloned in-frame into a similar MSGV vector (Zhao et. al J.
Immunol. 2009 in press) containing the hinge and transmembrane
sequences of the human CD8.alpha. chain linked to the cytoplasmic
signaling domains of human CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. molecules
using standard molecular biology techniques. The sequence integrity
of all of the vectors described in this paper was confirmed by DNA
sequencing.
[0139] This example demonstrated a method of making a nucleotide
sequence encoding a CAR comprising a KDR-1121 ScFv segment, human
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular
human T cell signaling CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments. This
example also demonstrated a method of making a nucleotide sequence
encoding a CAR comprising a KDR-1121 ScFv segment, human CD8.alpha.
hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular human T cell
signaling CD28 and CD3.zeta. segments.
Example 3
[0140] This example demonstrates a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising an antigen binding domain of a DC101 antibody, an
extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor transmembrane domain,
and an intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain.
[0141] PG13 cells were transfected with 9 mg of plasmid DNA
(MSGV-DC101CD828BBZ or MSGV-DC101CD828Z prepared as described in
Example 1 using the Lipofectamine.TM. 2000 transfection reagent
(Invitrogen.TM.). The supernatant from these transfected cells was
harvested 24 hours later, filtered with a 0.45 .mu.m pore-sized
microfilter (MiUex-Ha; MiUipore, Bedford, M A), and used to
transduce Phoenix.TM. Eco cells in the presence of 8 .mu.g/ml
protamine sulfate (Sigma). The transduction was repeated the next
day. Sixteen hours later, the MSGV-DC101CD828BBZ or
MSGV-DC101CD828Z CAR transduced Phoenix.TM. Eco cells were
harvested and subjected to limiting dilution cloning. Clones were
expanded, and high titer clones were selected by the dot-blot
titration method as described previously (M. Onodera et al., Hum.
Gene Ther. 8: 1189 (1997)). Retroviral supernatant from the 6
highest titer clones was generated. Briefly, 10 cm.sup.2 tissue
culture plates (Nunc.RTM., Cole-Parmer.RTM., Vernon Hills, Ill.)
were seeded at 5.times.10.sup.6 cells in 10 ml of D10. A medium
exchange (10 ml) was performed on the next day. The supernatant
from each clone was harvested 24 hours later and was evaluated by
transducing mouse T cells as described below in Example 5 and
measuring CAR expression on the surface of transduced T cells as
described below under Example 6. A Phoenix.TM. Eco producer clone
for each of the two constructs possessing the capability to
transduce mouse T cells at high frequency and express the CAR at a
high level were selected for production of retroviral supernatants
to transduce mouse T cells in subsequent experiments.
[0142] This example demonstrated a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising a DC101 ScFv segment, mouse CD8.alpha. hinge and
transmembrane segments, and intracellular mouse T cell signaling
CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments. This example also demonstrated
a method of making a virus comprising a recombinant expression
vector encoding a CAR comprising a DC101 ScFv segment, mouse
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular
mouse T cell signaling CD28 and CD3.zeta. segments.
Example 4
[0143] This example demonstrates a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising an antigen binding domain of a KDR-1121 antibody, an
extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor transmembrane domain,
and an intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain.
[0144] A set of recombinant retroviral vectors expressing a CAR
specific for human VEGFR-2 (KDR) was constructed. The KDR CAR
vector termed KDR1121-hCD828BBZ included a ScFv from a fully human
antibody KDR1121 (D. Lu et al., J Biol. Chem. 278: 43496 (2003))
that was specific to the human KDR antigen. The KDR1121 ScFv was
linked to the hinge and transmembrane sequences from human
CD8.alpha., which, in turn, was fused to the intracellular
sequences derived from the human CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. domains
of a TCR.
[0145] A second vector, referred to as KDR1121-hCD28Z, included
KDR1121 ScFv linked to the hinge and transmembrane sequences and
the intracellular signaling domain of a human CD28 molecule,
followed by the cytoplasmic sequences of a CD3.zeta. domain of a
TCR. MSGV-KDR1121-CD828BBZ and MSGV-KDR1121-CD828Z retroviral
vectors producing stable PG13 producer cell clones were generated
essentially as described in Example 3 with the following changes.
Phoenix.TM. Eco cells were transfected with 9 mg of plasmid DNA
(MSGV-KDR1121-CD828BBZ or MSGV-KDR1121-CD828Z) using the
Lipofectamine.TM. 2000 transfection reagent (Invitrogen.TM.). The
supernatant from these transfected cells was harvested 24 hours
later and used to transduce PG13 cells. The transduction was
repeated the next day. Sixteen hours later, transduced PG 13 cells
were subjected to limited dilution cloning. Six high titer virus
producing PG13 clones for each of the two constructs were
identified by dot blot titration method (M. Onodera et al., Hum.
Gene Ther. 8: 1189 (1997)). The supernatants were obtained from
each of these clones as described in Example 3 and were evaluated
by transducing human T cells as described below under Example 5 and
measuring CAR expression on the surface of transduced T cells as
described below in Example 15. A PG13 producer clone for each of
the constructs possessing the capability to transduce mouse T cells
at a high frequency and express the KDR CAR at high levels were
selected for production of retroviral supernatants to transduce
human T cells in subsequent experiments.
[0146] This example demonstrated a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising a KDR-1121 ScFv segment, human CD8.alpha. hinge and
transmembrane segments, and intracellular human T cell signaling
CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments. This example also demonstrated
a method of making a virus comprising a recombinant expression
vector encoding a CAR comprising a KDR-1121 ScFv segment, human
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular
human T cell signaling CD28 and CD3.zeta. segments.
Comparative Example 1
[0147] This example demonstrates a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding an antigen
binding domain of a DC101 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain,
and a T cell receptor transmembrane domain, but lacking an
intracellular T cell receptor signaling domain. This example also
demonstrates a method of making a virus comprising a recombinant
expression vector encoding a CAR comprising an antigen binding
domain of a SP6 antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell
receptor transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0148] To generate MSGV-DC101-CD8 (referred as DC101-CD8), the
DC101-CD8 nucleotide sequence was amplified from the
MSGV-DC101-CD828Z plasmid by PCR reaction using the primer set
Heavy F (SEQ ID NO: 22) and a reverse primer (SEQ ID NO:26), which
contain a TAA stop codon followed by a SalI restriction site. The
PCR product was digested with XhoI and SalI and ligated into a
similarly digested MSGV-DC101-CD828Z plasmid replacing the
DC101-CD828Z fragment. The DC101-CD8 construct lacks an
intracellular T cell signaling sequence and includes only the DC101
ScFv, mouse CD8.alpha. hinge, and mouse CD8.alpha. TM
sequences.
[0149] The MSGV-SP6-CD828BBZ CAR (designated as SP6-CD828BBZ or SP6
CAR) was created as follows. The SP6 ScFv fragment was amplified by
PCR from a plasmid encoding the SP6-ScFv (G. Gross, T. Waks, Z.
Eshhar, Proc. Nall. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 86: 10024 (1989)) using the
primers: SP6 forward (SEQ ID NO:27), which contains a XhoI site and
SP6 reverse (SEQ ID NO:28), which contains a NotI site. A plasmid
encoding the SP6 ScFv was kindly provided by Prof. Z. Eshhar (The
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel). The PCR product was then
digested with XhoI and NotI enzymes and cloned into the similarly
digested MSGV-DC101CD828BBZ plasmid replacing the DC101 ScFv. SP6
ScFv recognizes a hapten 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenyl (TNP). The
SP6-CD828BBZ (SP6 CAR) construct includes SP6 ScFv and mouse
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular
mouse T cell signaling CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments.
[0150] Retroviruses encoding the DC101-CD8 and SP6-28Z CAR were
produced transiently. Briefly, 293GP cells were plated on a
poly-D-lysine coated dish (BD Biosciences, San Jose, Calif.) at a
density of 5.times.10.sup.6 cells in 10 ml of D10. On the following
day, the culture media was replaced with 10 ml of D10 without
antibiotics, and the cells were transfected with either the
MSGV-DC101-CD8 or the MSGV-SP6-CD828BBZ plasmid along with a
plasmid encoding the RD114 envelope protein (C. D. Porter et al.,
Hum. Gene Ther. 7: 913 (1996)) using Lipofectamine.TM. 2000
(Invitrogen.TM. Corp.). The transfected cells were incubated at
37.degree. C. and after 6 to 8 hours, the culture media was
replaced with D10. The cells were incubated for another 36 to 48
hours at 37.degree. C. Supernatant containing retroviruses was
collected from the dishes and centrifuged to remove cellular debris
and used to transduce mouse T cells.
[0151] This example demonstrated a method of making a virus
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a DC101 ScFv
segment and human CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, but
lacking intracellular human T cell signaling CD28, 4-1BB, and
CD3.zeta. segments. This example also demonstrated a method of
making a virus comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding
a CAR comprising a SP6 ScFv segment, human CD8.alpha. hinge and
transmembrane segments, and intracellular human T cell signaling
CD28, 4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments.
Example 5
[0152] This example demonstrates a method of making a host cell
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising an antigen binding domain of a DC101 or KDR-1121
antibody, an extracellular hinge domain, a T cell receptor
transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell receptor
signaling domain.
[0153] Spleens were harvested and crushed through a 40-.mu.m nylon
filter. After red-cell lysis, CD3.sup.+ splenocytes were purified
by using a mouse T cell negative isolation kit (Dynal.RTM.,
Invitrogen.TM.) and cultured in CM-M in the presence of 2 .mu.g/ml
ConA (Sigma-Aldrich.RTM., St Louis, Mo.) and 1 ng/ml recombinant
mouse (rm) IL-7 (R&D Systems.RTM., Minneapolis, Minn.). After
24 hours, cells were harvested, centrifuged at 1200 rpm for 5
minutes at room temperature, and resuspended in fresh CM-M at
1.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml. Cryopreserved human PBLs were thawed at
37.degree. C. in CM-H, washed, and resuspended at a concentration
of 1.times.10.sup.6/ml in CM-H supplemented with 50 ng/ml mouse
anti-human CD3 antibody (Orthoclone OKT.RTM.3, Ortho Biotech,
Horsham, Pa.). After 2 days of culture, the cells were collected
and resuspended in fresh T cell culture medium without OKT3 at
1.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml.
[0154] Mouse and human lymphocytes were transduced using
retroviruses produced as described in Example 3 or Example 4 using
a similar transduction protocol on culture dishes that had been
precoated with retroviral vectors as previously described (H.
Hanenberg et al., Nat. Med. 2: 876 (1996)). To coat culture plates
with vector, non-tissue culture-treated six-well plates (BD
Biosciences) were first treated with 25 .mu.g/ml recombinant
fibronectin fragment (RetroNectin.RTM.; Takara Bio. Inc, Japan). To
these plates was then added 4-5 ml of retroviral vector
supernatant, and the plates were spun at 2000 g for 2 hours at
32.degree. C. Then the supernatant was removed, and stimulated
mouse T cells or human lymphocytes were added to each well at
1.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml (2-3 ml/well) and the plates were spun at
1500 rpm for 10 min at room temperature. Cells were then incubated
overnight at 37.degree. C., and the procedure was repeated the
following day (total of two transductions), after which the cells
were expanded at 37.degree. C. in a 5% CO.sub.2 incubator and split
as necessary to maintain cell density between 0.5 and
2.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml. Four or five days after transduction,
lymphocytes were assayed for the presence of transgene product by
flow cytometry and for activity by antigen-specific proliferation
and cytokine release assays.
[0155] This example demonstrated a method of making a host cell
comprising a recombinant expression vector encoding a CAR
comprising a KDR-1121 or DC101 ScFv segment, CD8.alpha. hinge and
transmembrane segments, and intracellular T cell signaling CD28,
4-1BB, and CD3.zeta. segments. This example also demonstrated a
method of making a virus comprising a recombinant expression vector
encoding a CAR comprising a KDR-1121 or DC101 ScFv segment,
CD8.alpha. hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular T
cell signaling CD28 and CD3.zeta. segments.
Example 6
[0156] This example demonstrates that host cells transduced with
the nucleic acids of Example 1 expressed a CAR comprising a DC101
ScFv segment, hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular T
cell signaling segments.
[0157] Mouse T cells were retrovirally transduced with retroviral
vectors DC101-CD828Z or DC101-CD828BBZ CAR as described in Example
5 or were transduced with the DC101-CD8 or SP6-CD828BBZ vectors
described in Comparative Example 1, or with an empty MSGV vector
(lacking any of the CAR sequences). Surface expression of the
retrovirally encoded transgene products in transduced CD3.sup.+
primary mouse T cells was determined by flow cytometry using the
soluble mouse VEGFR-2-human IgG-FC fusion protein and PE-conjugated
anti-human IgG-FC.
[0158] On day 4 post-transduction, cells were costained with
anti-mouse CD8 antibody and CAR-specific reagents and were FACS
analysed to determine the expression of transgene products in
CD8.sup.+and CD8'' T cell subsets. Detection of DC101 CAR on
retrovirally transduced mouse T cells on day 4 after transduction
was achieved by indirect immunofluorescence with soluble mouse (m)
VEGFR2-hIgG.FC fusion protein (R&D Systems.RTM., Minneapolis,
Md.), followed by staining with a phycoerythrin (PE)-labeled goat
anti-human IgG-FC antibody (eBioscience.TM., San Diego, Calif.).
Briefly, 5.times.10.sup.5 cells were incubated with 2 .mu.g of
bovine serum albumin (BSA; Sigma-Aldrich.RTM.) or species-specific
soluble mVEGFR2-hIgG.FC protein at 4.degree. C. for 45 min. Cells
were then washed in FACS buffer (phosphate buffered saline
containing 1% FBS) and stained with PE-conjugated anti human IgG-FC
(.alpha.chIgG.FC). At this step, mouse T cells were co-stained with
peridinin chlorophyll (PerCP)-labeled anti-mouse CD8 (BD
Pharmingen, San Diego, Calif.) at appropriate concentrations
recommended by the manufacturer at 4.degree. C. for 20-30 min, then
washed and resuspended in FACS buffer. Cells incubated with 2 .mu.g
bovine serum albumin (BSA) and subsequently stained with
PE-conjugated anti human IgG-FC (.alpha.hIgG-FC) and PerCP labeled
anti-mouse CD8 served as a control.
[0159] To determine the expression of SP6 CAR, transduced mouse T
cells were washed and suspended in FACs buffer. Aliquots of
5.times.10.sup.5 cells were incubated with biotin-labeled
polyclonal goat anti-mouse F(ab)2 antibodies (anti-Fab, Jackson
Immunoresearch, West Grove, Pa.) or biotin-labeled normal
polyclonal goat IgG antibodies (Jackson Immunoresearch) at
4.degree. C. for 30 min. The cells were washed once, resuspended in
FACS buffer, and costained with fluorescein isothocyanate
(FITC)-labeled streptavidin (BD Pharmingen) and APC-labeled
anti-mouse CD8 (BD Pharmingen) for 25 min at 4.degree. C., then
washed in FACS buffer, and resuspended in FACS buffer. Both CD4+
and CD8.sup.+cells exhibited similar CAR expression profiles.
[0160] The results are shown in Tables 3 and 4A-4B.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 DC101- DC101- DC101- SP6- CD8 CD828Z
CD828BBZ CD828BBZ % Transduction CD3+CD4+ 83.2 .+-. 1.9 84 .+-. 1.7
79.0 .+-. 4.5 84.8 .+-. 2.7 CD3+CD8+ 80.8 .+-. 2.1 86 .+-. 1.6 78.2
.+-. 5.1 84.2 .+-. 3.9 Mean Fluorescence CD3+CD4+ 114.3 .+-. 7.8 95
.+-. 7.3 76.5 .+-. 4.9 86.8 .+-. 6.1 Intensity (MFI) CD3+CD8+ 108.5
.+-. 9.4 92 .+-. 6.2 75.8 .+-. 5.6 83.5 .+-. 4.8
[0161] In Table 3, transduction efficiency and level of expression
of CAR in transduced mouse T cells are represented as percent
transgene positive cells (% Transduction) and mean fluorescent
intensity of expression (MFI), respectively. Data are represented
as mean.+-.SEM derived from 5 different experiments. As shown in
Table 3, the DC101 CAR-expressing vectors efficiently and
consistently transduced ConA/IL-7 activated mouse T cells (range
about 79 to about 86%), which were mostly (.about.90%) CD8.sup.+ at
5 days post-transduction.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4A Empty DC101- DC101- DC101- Vector CD8
CD828Z CD828BBZ % Cells Transduced -- 72 81 69 (CD8+) (sVEGFR2-FC +
.alpha.hlgG.FC-PE) % Cells Transduced -- 8 7 8 (CD8-) (sVEGFR2-FC +
.alpha.hlgG.FC-PE) % Cells Transduced -- -- -- -- (CD8+) (BSA +
.alpha.HLGg.FC-PE) % Cells Transduced -- -- -- -- (CD8-) (BSA +
.alpha.HLGg.FC-PE)
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 4B SP6-CD828BBZ % Cells Transduced (CD8+)
(IsoAb-FITC) -- % Cells Transduced (CD8-) (IsoAb-FITC) -- % Cells
Transduced (CD8+) (GAM-FITC) 68 % Cells Transduced (CD8-)
(GAM-FITC) 7.5
[0162] As shown in Table 4A, the intensity of CAR expression
derived from the DC101 CAR comprising the 4-1BB signaling moiety
was consistently lower than that derived from vectors lacking 4-1BB
sequence in all the transduction experiments (n=5).
[0163] This example demonstrated the transduction efficiency of
transducing host cells with the nucleic acids of Example 1
expressing a CAR comprising a DC101 ScFv segment, extracellular
hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular T cell
signaling segments.
Example 7
[0164] This example demonstrates that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells are effective in generating an
antigen-specific response in vitro as measured by
proliferation.
[0165] The ability of DC101-CAR engineered T cells to proliferate
in response to immobilized VEGFR-2 protein was measured. Untreated
microtiter plates were coated individually with 5 .mu.g/ml of
bovine serum albumin (BSA, Sigma-Aldrich.RTM.), 5 .mu.g/ml soluble
mouse VEGFR2-hIgG.FC fusion protein (R&D Systeme.RTM.), 5
.mu.g/ml soluble mouse VEGFR2-hIgG.FC fusion protein (R&D
Systeme.RTM.), 2 .mu.g/ml of a purified anti-mouse CD3 antibody
(clone 145-2C11, BD Pharmingen), or 2 .mu.g/ml purified mouse
anti-human CD3 antibody (Orthoclone OKT.RTM.3) diluted in PBS for 3
hours at 37.degree. C. Mouse T cells were transduced as described
in Example 5 with retroviral vectors: SP6-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD8,
DC101-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD828Z, or empty vector.
[0166] Four days after transduction, cells were washed and
resuspended in their respective CM and plated at 10.sup.5 cells per
well in 200 .mu.l CM on antigen-coated micro titer plates. Cells
were cultured for 3 days and pulsed with 1 .mu.Ci (0.037 MBq)
[methyl-.sup.3H] thymidine/well ((PerkinElmer.RTM. Life Sciences,
Boston, Mass.) for the last 18 hours of culture. Cells were
harvested on a Tomtec.RTM. cell harvester (PerkinElmer.RTM.,
Wallac, Turku, Finland) and analyzed on a Wallac MicroBeta.RTM.
liquid scintillation counter (PerkinElmer.RTM., Waltham, Mass.) to
determine the amount of incorporated radioactive thymidine. The
assays were performed in triplicate wells. The results are shown in
FIG. 1 (values are represented as mean.+-.SEM).
[0167] As shown in FIG. 1, while there were no differences between
T cells transduced with various vectors to respond to immobilized
anti-mouse CD3 antibody, only the T cells engineered with
DC101-CARs containing intact intracellular signaling sequences
(DC101-CD828Z and DC101-CD828BBZ) responded specifically to
plate-bound target VEGFR-2 protein, as measured by proliferation.
Further, the cells transduced with DC101-CARs proliferated in vitro
in response to plate-bound target VEGFR-2 both with and without the
4-1BB signaling sequences.
[0168] This example demonstrated that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells proliferate in vitro in
response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 protein.
Example 8
[0169] This example demonstrates that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells are effective in generating an
antigen-specific response in vitro as measured by IFN-.gamma.
secretion.
[0170] Transduced mouse cells were tested for specific reactivity
against plate-bound VEGFR-2 protein in IFN-.gamma. release assays.
Human PBL were transduced as described in Example 5 with retroviral
vectors: SP6-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD8, DC101-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD828Z, or
empty vector. The transduced cells were cultured on antigen-coated
microtiter plates as described in Example 7 in 200 .mu.l CM. Cell
culture supernatants were harvested after 1 or 2 days and were
analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for
IFN-.gamma. using commercially available ELISA kits (Endogen,
Rockford, Ill.). The assays were performed in triplicate wells. The
results are shown in FIG. 2 (values are represented as
mean.+-.SEM).
[0171] As shown in FIG. 2, while there were no differences between
T cells transduced with various vectors to respond to immobilized
anti-mouse CD3 antibody, only the T cells engineered with
DC101-CARs containing intact intracellular signaling sequences
(DC101-CD828Z and DC101-CD828BBZ) responded specifically to
plate-bound target VEGFR-2 protein, as measured by IFN-.gamma.
secretion. Further, the DC101-CARs secreted IFN-.gamma. in response
to plate-bound target VEGFR-2 both with and without the 4-1 BB
signaling sequences.
[0172] This example demonstrated that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro in
response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 protein.
Example 9
[0173] This example demonstrates that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells specifically recognize mouse
cell lines expressing VEGFR-2 in vitro.
[0174] Mouse endothelial cell lines and tumor lines from various
tissue origins were examined for cell surface expression of VEGFR-2
by flow cytometry. Briefly, cells were harvested (adherent cells
were harvested using a cell scraper (Corning Incorporated, Corning,
N.Y.)), washed in FACS buffer and resuspended in FACS buffer.
Aliquots of 5.times.10.sup.5 cells were incubated with 2 .mu.g of
recombinant DC101 antibody for 45 min at 4.degree. C. Cells were
then washed twice in FACS buffer and successively incubated with 2
.mu.g soluble mVEGFR2-hIgG.FC protein and PE-labeled goat
anti-human IgG.FC antibody for 30 min each at 4.degree. C. Cells
were then washed and analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells stained
similarly but with rat IgG1 isotype control antibody instead of
DC101 antibody in the first incubation step of the protocol served
as control. Flow cytometry acquisition was performed with a FACS
Calibur.TM. flow cytometer (BD Biosciences). Data were acquired and
analyzed and analyzed using CellQuest.TM. software (Becton
Dickson). A combination of forward angle light scatter and
propidium iodide staining was used to gate out dead cells. The
specificity of VEGFR-2 staining and the mean fluorescence intensity
(MFI) of its expression on various cell types was determined using
respective cell type stained with isotype control antibody.
[0175] The level of VEGFR-2 varied among the cell lines tested.
While all transformed mouse endothelial cell lines (SVEC4-10EHR1,
bEND.3, SVR, and MS1) showed high levels of VEGFR-2 expression,
most of the cell lines showed either low (MC38, CT26, 4T1, and
MCA205), or undetectable levels (MC17-51, B16-F10, RENCA, C4198,
MB49, and NIH-3T3) of cell surface VEGFR-2 protein. Two of the
VEGFR-2 negative cell lines MB49 and NIH-3T3, were stably
transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing VEGFR-2 (MB49-F1k1
and 3T3-F1k1), and were used as positive controls in subsequent in
vitro T cell functional assays.
[0176] Primary mouse T cells were untransduced or transduced as
described in Example 5 with retroviral vectors: SP6-CD828BBZ,
DC101-CD8, DC101-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD828Z, or empty vector. Four days
later, cells were cultured alone or co-cultured with one of the
following mouse cell lines in 200 .mu.l CM: SVEC4-10EHR1, bEND-3,
SVR, MS1, MC38, 4T1, P815, MCA205, MC17-51, EL-4, C1498, B16-F10,
MB49, NIH-3T3, and cell lines transduced to express FLK-1:
MB49-FLK-1 and 3T3-FLK-1. IFN-.gamma. secretion was assayed as
described in Example 8. The results are shown in FIG. 3 (presented
as the mean values .+-.SEM of triplicate wells).
[0177] As shown in FIG. 3, IFN-.gamma. response was specifically
detected in response to VEGFR-2 positive cell lines 3T3-Flk1,
MB49-Flk1, SVEC4-10EHR1, bEND-3, SVR, MS1, 4T1, and MC38. The
amount of IFN-.gamma. secretion was highly correlated with the
level of VEGFR-2 expressed on target cells (R.sup.2=0.9652 for
DC101-CD828BBZ; R.sup.2=0.9584 for DC101-CD828Z). Reactivity was
restricted to T cells expressing DC101-CAR containing intact T cell
signaling domains. There were no significant differences in the
performance of DC101-CARs with or without 4-1BB signaling
sequences.
[0178] The specificity of the target antigen recognition was
further confirmed by antibody blocking experiments. Target cells
(bEnd.3, MB49, or MB49-FLK-1) were incubated with 10 .mu.g/ml of
either rat IgG1, anti-mouse VEGFR-1 antibody, or the anti-mouse
VEGFR-2 antibody (DC101) at 37.degree. C. for 1 hour and then
cocultured with primary mouse T cells that were mock transduced or
transduced with an empty vector or a retroviral vector encoding
SP6-CD828BBZ CAR or DC101-CD828BBZ. The supernatants were harvested
24 hours later and assessed for IFN-.gamma. by ELISA. As shown in
FIG. 12, anti-VEGFR-2 antibody DC101 blocked the recognition of
DC101-CAR transduced T cells against VEGFR-2.sup.+ endothelial
bEND.3 and MB49-Flk-1 tumor cell lines, while no blocking was
observed either with an anti-mouse VEGFR-1 or isotype control
antibodies.
[0179] This example demonstrated that DC101-CD828Z and
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro in
response to stimulation by VEGFR-2-expressing cells in vitro, and
that the amount of IFN-.gamma. secretion highly correlates with the
level of VEGFR-2 expressed by target cells.
Example 10
[0180] This example demonstrates that adoptively transferred T
cells expressing DC101 CARs are capable of inhibiting the growth of
established tumors in vivo.
[0181] To determine therapeutic efficacy, DC101 CAR transduced
cells were used to treat mice bearing established vascularized
subcutaneous (s.c.) tumors.
[0182] Five hundred thousand tumor (B16-F10, MC38, MCA205, CT26, or
Renca) cells were injected s.c. into groups of five mice (6-7 weeks
of age). Between 10 and 12 days, when the tumor area reached an
average size of approximately 50 mm.sup.2, the mice were
sublethally irradiated at 5 Gy TBI and injected with
20.times.10.sup.7 syngeneic mouse T cells transduced with
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR or an empty vector in conjunction with rhIL-2.
Control groups received rhIL-2 alone or no treatment.
[0183] Starting volumes of tumors ranged from 40 to 80 mm.sup.2.
Unless indicated otherwise, lymphopenia was induced by
nonmyeloablative (5 Gy) total body irradiation (TBI) of
tumor-bearing mice on the day of adoptive transfer. Concomitantly,
mice were treated intravenously (i.v.) with intraperitoneal (i.p.)
injections of six doses of rhIL-2 (100,000 CU/0.5 mL/dose/mouse)
twice a day with an interval of at least 6-8 hours for 3 days
unless noted otherwise. If indicated, 5 B16-F10 tumor bearing mice
were injected i.p. with a single dose of recombinant DC101 antibody
or Rat IgG.sub.1 both at 800 .mu.g/dose/mouse in 500 .mu.l PBS. All
experiments were performed in a double blinded, randomized fashion,
and independently at least twice with similar results. Each
treatment group included five mice. Serial, blinded tumor
measurements were obtained and the products of perpendicular
diameters were plotted .+-.SEM. Statistics for tumor treatment were
calculated using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test based on linear slopes
of the tumor growth curves at each data point. Cumulative survival
time was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed by the
log-rank test. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered
statistically significant.
[0184] The results are shown in FIGS. 4A-4B, 5A-5B, and 14A-14F. T
cells expressing the DC101-CD828BBZ CAR (closed triangle) were
capable of mediating a significant growth inhibitory effect against
several poorly immunogenic tumors, including B16-F10 (FIG. 4A;
P=0.009), MC38 (FIG. 4B; P=0.009), MCA205 (FIG. 14A, P=0.025), CT26
(FIG. 14C, P=0.009), and RENCA (FIG. 14E, P=0.008) tumors in
syngeneic mice. T cells expressing the DC101-CD828BBZ CAR also
increased the survival rates of B16-F10 (FIG. 5A), MC38 (FIG. 5B),
MCA205 (FIG. 14B), CT26 (FIG. 14D), and RENCA (FIG. 14F) tumor
bearing mice. There was no antitumor effect in untreated mice
(closed circle), mice treated with T cells transduced with an empty
vector (closed squares), or mice treated with IL-2 alone (closed
diamond).
[0185] This example demonstrated that adoptively transferred T
cells expressing DC101-CD828BBZ CAR inhibit the growth of B16-F10
and MC38 tumors and improve the survival of tumor-bearing mice in
vivo.
Example 11
[0186] This example demonstrates that the anti-tumor effect of
DC101 CAR-transduced T cells is cell-mediated.
[0187] Mice bearing established B16-F10 tumors were sublethally
irradiated at 5 Gy TBI and received treatments similar to those
described in Example 10: cells transduced with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR
(closed triangle) or empty vector (closed squares) (FIG. 6A).
Additional groups of 5 mice shown in this experiment received a
single dose of 800 .mu.g/mouse recombinant DC101 antibody (open
triangle) or rat IgG1 control antibody (open diamond) in
conjunction with rhIL-2 (FIG. 6A). Control groups received rhIL-2
alone (closed diamond) or were left untreated (closed circle), as
shown in FIG. 6A.
[0188] As shown in FIG. 6A, T cells expressing the DC101-CD828BBZ
CAR (closed triangle) were capable of inhibiting tumor growth.
However, the other treatment groups, including treatment with
recombinant DC101 antibody, had no effect on controlling the growth
of established B16 tumors.
[0189] Mice bearing B16-F10 tumors were treated with
2.times.10.sup.7, 1.times.10.sup.7, 5.times.10.sup.6, or
2.times.10.sup.6 syngeneic T cells transduced with DC101-CD828BBZ
plus rhIL-2, or were untreated, treated with rhIL-2 alone, or
treated with 2.times.10.sup.7 T cells transduced with an empty
vector plus rhIL-2. The treatment effect of DC101-CAR transduced T
cells against the B16-F10 melanoma was a direct function of the
number of cells administered (FIG. 15). Delay in tumor growth was
achieved with as low as 2.times.10.sup.6 DC101-CAR transduced T
cells (P 0.008).
[0190] In most of the tumor treatment studies with a single dose of
2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CAR modified T cells, there was a rapid
inhibition of tumor growth over a period of 2-3 weeks; during this
remission period the parental tumor became necrotic and fibrous,
but tiny nodules of viable tumor reappeared at the periphery of the
parental tumor and eventually regenerated in many mice.
[0191] However, effective tumor treatment and tumor-free survival
was achieved in mice bearing established B16-F10 or MCA205 tumors
treated with 3 sequential weekly doses of 5.times.10.sup.6
DC101-CAR transduced T cells and rhIL-2 (FIGS. 16A-16D). Mice
bearing established subcutaneous B16 or MCA205 tumors were
sublethally irradiated at 5Gy TBI and injected with a single dose
of 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CD28BBZ or empty vector-transduced
syngeneic mouse T cells in conjunction with rhIL-2. Some groups
received 3 sequential doses of 5.times.10.sup.6 DC101-CAR or empty
vector-transduced T cells at 7 to 10 days interval and 2 daily
doses of rhIL-2 for 3 days concomitant to cell transfer. The no
treatment group did not receive T cells or rhIL-2. The results with
respect to tumor area are shown in FIGS. 16A (B16-F10) and 16B
(MCA205) and the results with respect to survival are shown in
FIGS. 16C (B16-F10) and 16D (MCA205).
[0192] This example demonstrated that adoptive transfer of T cells
expressing DC101-CD828BBZ CAR were capable of inhibiting tumor
growth while treatment with recombinant antibody failed to inhibit
tumor growth.
Example 12
[0193] This example demonstrates that T cells transduced with a
DC101 construct that lacks intracellular T cell signaling domains
fails to induce an antitumor treatment effect in vivo.
[0194] Mice bearing established subcutaneous B16-F10 tumor were
sublethally irradiated at 5 Gy TBI and treated with
20.times.10.sup.6 syngeneic mouse T cells transduced with:
DC101-CD828BBZ CAR vector, SP6-CD8S8BBZ CAR vector, DC101-CD8
vector (which lacks the T cell signaling domains), or an empty
vector, as described in Example 10. All of the mice groups treated
with T cells received rhIL-2 administration as described in Example
10. Animals in the control group were not treated with T cells or
rhIL-2.
[0195] As shown in FIG. 6B, T cells expressing DC101 ScFv but
lacking the intracellular T cell signaling molecules (open
triangle) had no effect on controlling the growth of established
B16 tumor. Additionally, untreated mice (closed circle) and mice
treated with T cells engineered with an irrelevant CAR (SP6 CAR)
(open diamond) or an empty vector (closed square) failed to induce
tumor inhibition (FIG. 6B). However, T cells expressing the DC101
CAR (closed triangle) were capable of inhibiting tumor growth.
[0196] This example demonstrated that adoptive transfer of T cells
expressing DC101 CAR were capable of inhibiting tumor growth, while
treatment with T cells expressing DC101 but lacking intracellular T
cell signaling molecules and T cells expressing an irrelevant CAR
each failed to inhibit tumor growth.
Example 13
[0197] This example demonstrates that cells transduced with DC101
CARs inhibited tumor growth in vivo both with and without a 4-1BB
intracellular signaling domain.
[0198] As shown in FIG. 7, groups of 5 mice bearing established
subcutaneous B16-F10 tumors were sublethally irradiated at 5 Gy TBI
and injected i.v. with 20.times.10.sup.6 syngeneic T cells
transduced with a DC101 CAR containing the 4-1BB intracellular
signaling domain (DC101-mCD828BBZ, diamond) or without the 4-1BB
intracellular signaling domain (DC101-CD828Z; triangle), or an
empty vector (square), as described in Example 10. Control groups
received no T cell therapy (circle) (FIG. 7). All of the T cell
treatment groups shown in closed symbols received exogenous rhIL-2
administration and those represented in open symbols had not
received rhIL-2 (FIG. 7). In all of the in vivo tumor treatment
studies, mice were randomized and tumor size was measured in a
blinded fashion. The products of the perpendicular diameters of the
tumor are presented as the mean.+-.SEM. Experiments were performed
independently at least twice with similar results.
[0199] As shown in FIG. 7, T cells transduced with the DC101 CAR
vector containing the 4-1BB intracellular signaling sequence
(DC101-CD828BBZ) and those lacked the 4-1BB intracellular signaling
sequence (DC101-CD28Z) performed equally well and were
statistically indistinguishable (P=0.1) in delaying the growth of
established bulky tumors.
[0200] This example demonstrated that adoptive transfer of T cells
expressing DC101-CD828BBZ and DC101-CD28Z were each capable of
inhibiting tumor growth in vivo.
Example 14
[0201] This example demonstrates that a 4-1BB signaling segment
enhances the persistence of DC101 CAR modified T cells in vivo.
[0202] FACS analysis of tumor samples from two mice from each of
the treatment groups that received DC101 CAR (DC101-CD828BBZ or
DC101-CD828Z) transduced T cells and exogenous rhIL-2 as described
in Example 10 were harvested at 30 days post-T cell transfer and
individually analyzed for the presence of DC101 CAR expressing T
cells by flow cytometry as described in Example 6. Tumor samples
were mechanically disturbed into single cell suspensions and a low
density cell fraction was prepared by gradient centrifugation over
Ficoll. Cell surface expression of DC101 CAR was detected by
incubating the cells successively with BSA or soluble mouse
VEGFR-2-human IgG.FC fusion protein followed by PE-conjugated goat
anti-human IgG.FC antibody. Cells were costained with
APC-conjugated rat anti-mouse CD3. Percent CD3.sup.+ T cells
expressing DC101 CAR in the lymphocyte gate region of the forward
and side scatter profiles is shown in Table 5.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 5 DC101-CD828BBZ DC101-CD828Z VEGFR-2-
VEGFR-2- BSA human IgG.FC BSA human IgG.FC Mouse 1 -- 25.6 -- 4.2
Mouse 2 -- 22.2 -- 5.5
[0203] As shown in Table 5, mice treated with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR
vector-engineered T cells had 4-5 fold more DC101 CAR-expressing
CD3.sup.+ CELLS in the tumor than mice treated with T cells
carrying the DC101 CAR that lacked 4-1BB.
[0204] The example demonstrated that 4-1BB enhances the persistence
of adoptively transferred antigen-specific T cells at the tumor
site.
Example 15
[0205] This example demonstrates that DC101-CAR transduced T cells
efficiently traffic to the tumor site.
[0206] C57BL/6 mice were subcutaneously injected with
2.times.10.sup.5 B16-F10 tumor cells. On day 10 or 12, mice were
irradiated at 5 Gy and treated intravenously with 20.times.10.sup.6
DC101 CAR (DC101-CD828BBZ) or empty vector-transduced Thy1.1.sup.+
syngeneic T cells in conjunction with rhIL-2, as described in
Example 10.
[0207] At the time points indicated in Table 6A, tumors and spleens
from an individual mouse from each group were excised and processed
to obtain single cell suspensions and analysed by flow cytometry as
described in Example 6. Spleens were crushed through a 40-.mu.m
nylon filter. After red-cell lysis, splenocytes were isolated.
Single cell suspensions of tumors were made using a 40 .mu.m nylon
cell strainer (BD Biosciences), and lymphocytes were further
separated by density gradient centrifugation using
Lympholyte.RTM.-M (Cedarlane Laboratories, Burlington, Canada).
Phenotype of mouse T cells isolated from spleen and tumor samples
was determined by direct staining of cells with allophycocyanin
(APC) conjugated rat anti-mouse CD3 and PE-labeled mouse anti-rat
Thy1.1 antibody (both from BD Pharmingen) according to the
manufacturer's recommendations. Aliquots of cells were stained with
respective fluorochrome labeled isotype control antibodies to
determine the specificity of staining. Percentage of
CD3.sup.+Thy1.1.sup.+cells in the lymphocyte gated population was
determined by flow cytometry. Cells were acquired and analyzed
using the CellQuest software (BD Biosciences). Cells in the
lymphocyte gate region of the tumor cell preparations and all the
cell populations of splenocytes were included in the analysis.
Quadrants were established based on the isotype control antibody
staining. Representative FACS data is shown in Table 6A (percentage
of CD3.sup.+Thy1.1.sup.+cells) and pooled data obtained from three
different mice from independent experiments is shown in Table 6B
(percentage of CD3.sup.+Thy1.1.sup.+cells).
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 6A Spleen Tumor DC101- Empty DC101- Empty
CD828BBZ Vector CD828BBZ Vector Day 3 17 7 54 26 Day 6 15.2 3.2
70.4 31 Day 9 5.3 3.1 53 3.2
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 6B Spleen Tumor DC101- Empty DC101- Empty
CD828BBZ Vector CD828BBZ Vector Day 3 15.1 9.9 40.2 23.4 Day 6 27.8
6.6 75.5 27.8 Day 9 15.3 4.4 68 9.3
[0208] By day 3, adoptively transferred T cells trafficked
similarly to spleen and tumor irrespective of their genetic
modification. However, at day 6 and 9, trafficking to the tumor was
far greater for the DC101 CAR-endowed T cells. This increase in
trafficking to and homing of VEGFR-2-specific T cells at the tumor
site was reproducibly observed in multiple experiments. These
findings were further confirmed by direct visualization of
adoptively transferred Thy1.1.sup.+ T cells using confocal
microscopy after staining the tumor sections with Thy1.1 specific
antibody.
[0209] Tumor samples were obtained from C57BL/6 mice bearing
B16-F10 tumors treated with DC101-CD828BBZ CAR or empty vector
transduced T cells and rhIL-2 on day 4 post-ACT. Tumor sections
were stained for Thy1.1 antigen expressed on transferred T cells or
the endothelial cell marker CD31 together with
4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) to show the nucleus and
analyzed using fluorescence microscopy. Tumor samples taken on day
4 after cell transfer from mice treated with DC101-CAR transduced
Thy 1.1.sup.+ T cells contained more Thy1.1.sup.+ T cells than
those treated with empty vector transduced cells. At this time
point, the tumor vessels contained DC101-CAR transduced T cells in
close association with endothelial cells in the tumor vessels.
Furthermore, tumor sections stained with the endothelial cell
marker CD31 revealed a reduced number of vessels in the tumor of
mice treated with DC101-CAR transduced T cells compared to those
treated with empty vector transduced T cells.
[0210] To determine if the enhanced trafficking and increase in
numbers of DC101-CAR transduced T cells in the tumor are the result
of any intrinsic differences in expression of chemokine receptors
between CAR transduced and empty vector transduced T cells,
enriched splenic CD3.sup.+ T cells were transduced with an empty
vector or vectors encoding DC101-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD828Z, or
SP6-CD828BBZ. Five days after transduction, cells were analysed by
FACS for cell surface expression of CD62L molecule and chemokine
receptors (CXCR4, CXCR3, CCR9, and CCR7) that are known to be
involved in homing and/or efficient trafficking of T cells in
vivo.
[0211] There were no differences between the T cells transduced
with retroviral vectors expressing DC101-CD828BBZ, DC101-CD828Z,
SP6-CD828BBZ, or empty vector, in the levels of expression of the
chemokine receptors CCR7, CCR9, CXCR-3, and CXCR-4 as well as the
homing molecule L-selectin (CD62L) that are known to be involved in
the trafficking of T cells. Accordingly, the enhanced trafficking
and increase in numbers of DC101-CAR transduced T cells in the
tumor seem to be the consequence of in vivo target antigen
engagement rather than the result of any intrinsic differences in
antigen-independent mechanisms such as increased expression of
chemokine receptors between CAR transduced and empty vector
transduced T cells.
[0212] This example demonstrated that trafficking to the tumor is
far greater for the DC101 CAR endowed T cells than the cells
transduced with an empty vector at days 6 and 9 following adoptive
transfer.
Example 16
[0213] This example demonstrates that host cells transduced with
the nucleic acids of Example 2 express a CAR comprising a KDR1121
ScFv segment, extracellular hinge and transmembrane segments, and
intracellular T cell signaling segments.
[0214] Detection of KDR CAR on transduced human T cells was
performed 5 days post-transduction as described in Example 6,
except that soluble human (h) VEGFR2-hIgG.FC fusion protein was
used in the staining protocol and the cells were costained with
PerCP-labeled mouse anti-human CD3 antibody (BD Pharmingen). Flow
cytometry acquisition was performed with a FACS Calibur.TM. flow
cytometer (BD Biosciences). Data were acquired and analyzed and
analyzed using CellQuest.TM. software (Becton Dickson). A
combination of forward angle light scatter and propidium iodide
staining was used to gate out dead cells. The CAR-specific staining
and the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of its expression on
transduced T cells were determined using respective cell types
stained with isotype control antibodies. Quadrants were established
based on relevant isotype controls. The results are shown in Table
7.
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 7 KDR1121-hCD28Z KDR1121-hCD828BBZ %
Transduction .sup. 85 .+-. 1.7 .sup. 79 .+-. 1.5 Mean Fluorescence
160 .+-. 16 123 .+-. 21 Intensity (MFI)
[0215] As shown in Table 7, the KDR CAR encoding retroviral vectors
of Example 2 transduced human PBLs at a high frequency, resulting
in about 79 to about 85% of the CD3.sup.+T cells expressing the CAR
on cell surface.
[0216] Even though both vectors could transduce human PBLs at a
comparable rate, the MFI of CAR expression driven from the
KDR-CD828BBZ CAR vector, which possessed the 4-1BB sequence, was
slightly compromised as shown in Table 8.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 8 Mock KDR1121- KDR1121- transduced CD28Z
CD828BBZ % Cells CD3+ -- 84 79.5 transduced (sKDR- hlgG-FC +
.alpha.hlgG.FC-PE) % Cells CD3+ -- -- -- transduced (BSA +
.alpha.hlgG.FC-PE)
[0217] This example demonstrated the transduction efficiency of
transducing host cells with the nucleic acids of Example 2
expressing a CAR comprising a KDR1121 ScFv segment, extracellular
hinge and transmembrane segments, and intracellular T cell
signaling segments.
Example 17
[0218] This example demonstrates that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells are effective in generating
an antigen-specific response in vitro as measured by
proliferation.
[0219] Microtiter plates were coated with BSA, soluble KDR-hIgG.FC
fusion protein, or anti human CD3 mAb as described in Example 7.
OKT3 stimulated human PBLs were transduced with as described in
Example 5 with retroviral vectors: KDR-CD28Z or KDR-CD28BBZ or mock
transduced. Seven days later, cells were cultured on antigen coated
micro titer plates for 3 days, pulsed with .sup.3[H]-thymidine for
18 hours, and analyzed for thymidine incorporation as a measure of
proliferation, as described in Example 7. The assays were performed
in triplicate and values are represented as mean.+-.SEM. The
results are shown in FIG. 8.
[0220] As shown in FIG. 8, while there were no differences between
T cells transduced with various vectors to respond to immobilized
anti-mouse CD3 antibody, only the T cells engineered with
KDR1121-CARs responded specifically to plate-bound target VEGFR-2
protein, as measured by proliferation. Further, the cells
transduced with KDR1121 CARs proliferated in vitro in response to
plate-bound target VEGFR-2 both with and without the 4-1BB
signaling sequences.
[0221] This example demonstrated that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells proliferate in vitro in
response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 protein.
Example 18
[0222] This example demonstrates that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells are effective in generating
an antigen-specific response in vitro as measured by IFN-.gamma.
secretion.
[0223] Transduced human PBLs were tested for specific reactivity
against plate-bound VEGFR-2 protein as well as target cells
expressing VEGFR-2 in IFN-.gamma. release assays. Human PBL were
transduced as described in Example 5 with retroviral vectors:
KDR1121-CD828BBZ or KDR1121-CD28Z or were mock transduced. The
transduced cells were cultured on antigen-coated microtiter plates
as described in Example 7 in 200 .mu.l CM. Cell culture
supernatants were harvested after 1 or 2 days (mouse T cells) or
after 1 day (human T cells) and were analyzed by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IFN-.gamma. using commercially
available ELISA kits (Endogen, Rockford, Ill.). The assays were
performed in triplicate wells. The results are shown in FIG. 9
(values are represented as mean.+-.SEM).
[0224] As shown in FIG. 9, while there were no differences between
T cells transduced with various vectors to respond to immobilized
anti-mouse CD3 antibody, only the T cells engineered with
KDR1121-CARs responded specifically to plate-bound target VEGFR-2
protein, as measured by IFN-.gamma. secretion. Further, the cells
transduced with KDR1121 CARs secreted IFN-.gamma. in vitro in
response to plate-bound target VEGFR-2 both with and without the
4-1BB signaling sequences.
[0225] This example demonstrated that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro
in response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 protein.
Example 19
[0226] This example demonstrates that human PBLs transduced with
KDR1121-CD828BBZ and KDR1121-CD28Z generate an antigen-specific
response in vitro when co-cultured with VEGFR-2 (KDR)-expressing
target cells, as measured by IFN-.gamma. secretion.
[0227] The ability of KDR CAR modified T cells in recognizing cells
expressing KDR protein was tested. PBLs from 3 different donors
were transduced with KDR1121-CD828BBZ and KDR1121-CD28Z CAR as
described in Example 5 or were mock transduced. Eight days
post-transduction, the transduced cells were cultured alone or were
cocultured for 24 hours with KDR negative 293 cells or 293-KDR
cells, a stable transfectant expressing high levels of KDR protein
as described in Example 9. Culture supernatants were analyzed for
IFN-.gamma. secretion as described in Example 8. The results are
shown in FIG. 10.
[0228] As shown in FIG. 10, both the KDR1121-CD828BBZ and
KDR1121-CD28Z vectors conferred a similar level of specificity and
functionality to the transduced human T cells, as evidenced from
their ability to specifically recognize only the KDR expressing
293-KDR cells and not the 293 cells.
[0229] This example demonstrated that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro
in response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 (KDR)-expressing cells.
Example 20
[0230] This example demonstrates that KDR-1121 CAR modified T cells
secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro in response to stimulation by
VEGFR-2-expressing cells in vitro.
[0231] A panel of normal primary human endothelial and epithelial
cells from different tissue origins and muscle myoblasts (293A2,
HMVEC-Dermal, HMVEC-Lung, HUVEC, skin fibroblasts, SAEC, HBEC, HRE,
HMEC, PrEC, HSMM) cultured in vitro for a short period, were
examined for KDR expression by flow cytometry. The KDR protein was
readily detectable only transduced cells (293A2-KDR) and in
cultured primary endothelial cells (i.e., HMVEC-D, HMVEC-L, and
HUVEC) and not in any of the primary epithelial cells and myoblasts
tested. The intensity of KDR expression was higher in skin-derived
human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-D) compared to
lung-derived HMVEC (HMVEC-L) or HUVECs.
[0232] Human PBLs transduced as described in Example 5 with
KDR1121-CD828BBZ or mock-transduced. Four days later, target cells
were cultured alone, transduced cells were cultured alone, or
transduced cells were co-cultured with one of the following cell
lines in 200 .mu.l CM: 293A2, HMVEC-Dermal, HMVEC-Lung, HUVEC, skin
fibroblasts, SAEC, HBEC, HRE, HMEC, PrEC, HSMM or 293A2-KDR.
IFN-.gamma. secretion was assayed as described in Example 8. The
results are shown in FIG. 11 (presented as the mean values .+-.SEM
of triplicate wells).
[0233] As shown in FIG. 11, the KDR CAR-transduced cells secreted
IFN-.gamma. only in response to KDR positive cells (HMVEC-D,
293-KDR cells, HMVEC-L, and HUVEC) irrespective of their tissue
origin and failed to recognize any of the other primary cells
tested.
[0234] Consistent with these results, in cytotoxicity assays, the
KDR1121-hCD828BBZ and KDR1121-hCD28Z CAR modified T cells
specifically lysed the KDR positive target cells but not the KDR
negative cell types, whereas the mock or SP6-CAR transduced T cells
were unable to lyse any of the target cells tested (FIG. 19).
[0235] This example demonstrated that KDR1121-CD28Z and
KDR1121-CD828BBZ CAR modified T cells secrete IFN-.gamma. in vitro
in response to stimulation by VEGFR-2 (KDR)-expressing cells in
vitro, regardless of tissue origin.
Example 21
[0236] This example demonstrates that primary mouse T cells
modified to express VEGFR-2 CAR specifically lyse mouse cells
expressing VEGFR-2.
[0237] Primary mouse T cells, mock transduced or transduced with an
empty vector or with a retroviral vector expressing SP6-CD828BBZ,
DC101-CD8, DC101-CD828Z or DC101-CD828BBZ were incubated with
target cells (SVEC4-10EHR1, 4T1, RENCA, MB49, bEND.3, MC38,
MC17-51, MB49-Flk1, MS1, CT26, B16-F10, 3T3, SVR, MCA205, C1498,
3T3-Flk1) at varying effector-to-target ratios (50, 17, 5.6, 1.9)
and cell lysis was determined by using the standard Cr.sup.51
release assay.
[0238] Consistent with the results obtained in Example 9 and as
shown in FIG. 13, in the cytotoxicity assays, the DC101-CAR
modified T cells specifically lysed the VEGFR-2 positive target
cells but did not lyse the VEGFR-2 negative cell types. In
contrast, the mock, empty vector, or SP6-CAR transduced T cells
were unable to lyse any of the target cells tested (FIG. 13).
Example 22
[0239] This example demonstrates that DC101-CAR expressing T cells
generate an anti-tumor response in the presence or absence of host
preconditioning with irradiation.
[0240] Depletion of host immune cells prior to adoptive cell
transfer (ACT) can enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of transferred
antigen-specific T cells by eliminating immune suppressor cells as
well as lymphocytes that compete with the transferred cells for
homeostatic cytokines. Therefore, in previous adoptive T cell
therapy experiments, mice received 5 Gy total body irradiation
(TBI) prior to cell transfer. Irradiation, however, could
potentially adversely alter or damage tumor vasculature and/or skew
the expression of the target antigen, VEGFR-2.
[0241] Therefore the in vivo anti-tumor activity of DC101-CAR
engineered T cells was tested in mice with or without host
lymphodepletion prior to adoptive T cell transfer. C57BL/6 mice
bearing subcutaneous B16-F10 tumors received 2.times.10.sup.7
syngeneic T cells transduced with DC101-CAR, SP6-CAR, or an empty
vector plus rhIL-2, or were not treated with T cells, with or
without 5 Gy TBI prior to T cell transfer.
[0242] Consistent with the findings from previous experiments, the
DC101-CAR expressing T cells again reproducibly generated an
anti-tumor response in lymphodepleted mice compared to those
engineered with SP6-CAR or empty vector (FIG. 17, P=0.009). The
tumor inhibitory effect was statistically indistinguishable between
the treatment groups that received DC101-CAR T cells either in the
presence or absence of host preconditioning with irradiation
(P=0.251).
[0243] This example demonstrated that DC101-CAR expressing T cells
generate an anti-tumor response with or without prior host
lymphodepletion.
Example 23
[0244] This example demonstrates that toxicities observed with the
adoptively transferred VEGFR-2 CAR transduced T cells can be
reduced by administering reduced numbers of T cells or purified
CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced with DC101-CAR.
[0245] In the tumor treatment studies performed in a total of 135
C57BL/6 mice bearing established subcutaneous tumors of different
histologies, the adoptively transferred syngeneic T cells contained
greater than 90% CD8.sup.+ T cells. No treatment related morbidity
or mortalities were documented in those mice that received 5 Gy
total body irradiation, up to 2.times.10.sup.7 T cells transduced
with either DC101-CD828BBZ or DC101-CD828Z CAR, and high dose IL-2.
Histopathologic analysis of various organs in C57BL/6 mice treated
with maximum numbers (2.times.10.sup.7) of VEGFR-2 CAR modified T
cells showed no evidence of treatment related toxicity, despite
reports of low levels of VEGFR-2 expression in vascularized tissues
such as kidney, retina, and pancreas.
[0246] In contrast, severe toxicity was seen in tumor bearing
BALB/c mice treated similarly with 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CAR
transduced syngeneic T cells. However, in BALB/c mice with
established CT26 or RENCA tumor, comparable anti-tumor effects were
achieved without any treatment related toxicities if the number of
administered T cells was reduced to 5.times.10.sup.6 or by
administering 2.times.10.sup.7 purified syngeneic CD8.sup.+ T cells
transduced with DC101-CAR (FIGS. 18A and 18B). Histopathologic
analysis of BALB/c mice treated with 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CAR
transduced T cells and IL-2 revealed findings characteristic of
cytokine induced hypotension including multifocal mild coagulation
necrosis in the liver and mild hepatic pericholangitis and
pulmonary perivasculitis, villous atrophy, villous blunting, and
crypt epithelial hyperplasia of the small intestine and colon. No
abnormalities in the gross appearance of the heart, lungs, liver,
kidneys, spleen, pancreas, uterus, ovaries, or brain were seen.
[0247] The differences in toxicity seen in C57BL/6 compared to
BALB/c mice were apparently due to the increased numbers of
CD4.sup.+ T cells present in the final cell product used in
adoptive transfer. Although the CD3.sup.+ T cells obtained from
BALB/c spleens were cultured similarly to that of the C57BL/6 mice,
the final BALB/c cell product (cultured for 5-6 days) contained
approximately 60% CD8.sup.+ T cells and 40% CD4.sup.+ T cells at
the time of adoptive transfer. No toxicity was seen in BALB/c mice
(in 3 independent experiments involving 15 tumor bearing mice)
treated with reduced numbers (5.times.10.sup.6) of unseparated T
cells or 2.times.10.sup.7 purified CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced
with DC101-CAR, while mice receiving 2.times.10.sup.7 DC101-CAR
modified T cells containing both CD8.sup.+ T cells (.about.60%) and
CD4.sup.+(.about.40%) T cells showed morbidity and mortality in the
same experiment presented in FIGS. 18A and 18B. These findings were
further evaluated in B16 tumor bearing C57BL/6 mice, in which
morbidity and mortalities were evidenced if the mice were treated
with purified CD4.sup.+ T cells transduced with VEGFR-2 CAR or
2.times.10.sup.7 T cells containing a 1:1 mixture of
1.times.10.sup.7 purified CD8.sup.+and 1.times.10.sup.7 CD4.sup.+ T
cells, both transduced with CAR. Whereas, effective tumor treatment
was achieved with no adverse effects, in mice treated with either
2.times.10.sup.7 unseparated CD3.sup.+ T cells (>90% CD8.sup.+ T
cells) or purified CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced with VEGFR-2 CAR
(FIG. 18C).
[0248] In multiple experiments, treatment of non-tumor bearing
BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice with 2.times.10.sup.7 CAR transduced T cells
containing equal numbers of CD4.sup.+and CD8.sup.+ T cells was well
tolerated with no adverse effect or toxicities. Thus, the cause of
the toxicities observed with the adoptively transferred VEGFR-2 CAR
transduced T cells appears to be restricted to the CD4.sup.+ T cell
recognition of the target antigen VEGFR-2 in the tumor vascular
network and subsequent downstream molecular events rather than
their off target cell-mediated cytotoxicities to normal vessels or
tissues.
[0249] This example demonstrated that administering reduced numbers
of T cells or purified CD8.sup.+ T cells transduced with DC101-CAR
can reduce toxicities observed with adoptively transferred VEGFR-2
CAR transduced T cells.
Example 24
[0250] This example demonstrates a method of administering a
population of cells expressing an anti-VEGFR2 CAR to human patients
with metastatic cancer.
Cell Preparation
[0251] PBMC will be obtained by leukapheresis (approximately
1.times.10.sup.10 cells). Whole PBMC will be cultured in the
presence of anti-CD3 (OKT3) and aldesleukin in order to stimulate
T-cell growth. Transduction is initiated by exposure of
approximately 1.times.10.sup.7 to 5.times.10.sup.8 cells to
supernatant containing the anti-VEGFR2 CAR retroviral vector
(comprising KDR1121-hCD828BBZ nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 16).
These transduced cells will be expanded and tested for their
anti-tumor activity. Successful CAR gene transfer will be
determined by FACS analysis for the CAR protein and anti-VEGFR2
reactivity will be tested by cytokine release as measured on
transfected cells. Successful CAR gene transfer for each transduced
PBL population will be defined as >10% CAR positive cells and
for biological activity, gamma-interferon secretion will be at
least 200 .mu.g/ml.
Phase 1--Dose Escalation:
[0252] The initial portion of this protocol will proceed in a phase
1 dose escalation design, with three cohorts of a minimum of 3
patients per cohort. The total number of anti-VEGFR2 engineered
cells transferred for each cohort will be: Cohort 1: 10.sup.8
cells; Cohort 2: 10.sup.9 cells; Cohort 3: 10.sup.10 cells; and
Cohort 4: 5.times.10.sup.10 cells.
[0253] Prior to receiving the engineered PBL cells, patients will
receive a nonmyeloablative lymphocyte depleting preparative regimen
of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine followed in one to four days by
intravenous infusion of in vitro tumor reactive, CAR
gene-transduced PBL plus IV aldesleukin (720,000 IU/kg q8h for a
maximum of 15 doses).
Phase 2 Portion
[0254] Similar to the Phase 1 portion, prior to receiving the
engineered PBL cells, patients in the phase 2 portion will receive
a nonmyeloablative lymphocyte depleting preparative regimen of
cyclophosphamide and fludarabine followed in one to four days by
intravenous infusion of in vitro tumor reactive, CAR
gene-transduced PBL plus IV aldesleukin (720,000 IU/kg q8h for a
maximum of 15 doses).
[0255] The phase 2 portion of the protocol will proceed utilizing
the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of anti-VEGFR2 engineered cells as
determined in the phase 1 portion. Patients will be entered into
two cohorts based on histology: cohort 1 will include patients with
metastatic melanoma and renal cancer and cohort 2 will include all
other cancer types.
Drug Administration
[0256] Drugs will be administered as set forth in Table 9. Day 0 is
the day of cell infusion.
TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 9 Day Therapy -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0.sup.1 1 2
3 4 1.0 Cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg) X X Fludarabine (25 mg/m.sup.2)
X X X X X Anti-VEGFR2 CAR PBL X.sup.1 Aldesleukin (720,000 IU/kg)
X.sup.2 X X X X Filgrastim.sup.3 (5 mcg/kg/day) X X X X
trimethoprim and X X X X X X X X X X X X sulfamethoxazole
(TMP/SMX).sup.4 160 mg/800 mg (example) Fluconazole.sup.5 (400 mg
po) X X X X X Valacyclovir po or Acyclovir IV.sup.6 X X X X X
.sup.1One to four days after the last dose of fludarabine
.sup.2Initiate within 24 hours after cell infusion .sup.3Continue
until neutrophils count >1 .times. 10.sup.9/L for 3 consecutive
days or >5 .times. 10.sup.9/L. .sup.4The TMP/SMX schedule should
be adjusted to QD three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
and continue for at least six months and until CD4 >200 .times.
2 .sup.5Continue until ANC >1000/mm.sup.3 .sup.6In patients
positive for herpes simplex virus (HSV) continue until absolute
neutrophil count (ANC) is greater than 1000/mm.sup.3
Cell Infusion and Aldesleukin Administration
[0257] Cells are delivered to the patient care unit by a staff
member from the Tumor Immunology Cell Processing Laboratory. Prior
to infusion, the cell product identity label is double-checked by
two authorized staff (medical doctor or registered nurse), an
identification of the product and documentation of administration
are entered in the patient's chart, as is done for blood banking
protocols. The cells are to be infused intravenously over 20-30
minutes via non-filtered tubing, gently agitating the bag during
infusion to prevent cell clumping.
Blood Product Support
[0258] Using daily CBC's as a guide, the patient will receive
platelets and packed red blood cells (PRBC's) as needed. Attempts
will be made to keep hemoglobin >8.0 gm/dl, and platelets
>20,000/mm3. All blood products with the exception of the stem
cell product will be irradiated. Leukocyte filters will be utilized
for all blood and platelet transfusions to decrease sensitization
to transfused WBC's and decrease the risk of CMV infection.
On-Study Evaluation
[0259] Post Cell Infusion Evaluations (No More than 450 mL/6
Weeks):
[0260] Once total lymphocyte count is greater than 200/mm.sup.3,
the following samples will be drawn and sent to the TIL lab on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday (while the patient is hospitalized): 5
CPT tubes (10 ml each) and 1 SST tube (10 ml).
[0261] At other time points, patient peripheral blood lymphocytes
(PBL) will be obtained from whole blood by purification using
centrifugation on a Ficoll cushion. Aliquots of these PBMC will be
1) cryopreserved for immunological monitoring of cell function and
2) subjected to DNA and RNA extraction for PCR analysis of CAR and
vector copy number estimation.
Biopsies
[0262] Biopsies of tumor tissue or lymph nodes may be performed but
are not required during the course of therapy. These biopsies will
only be performed if minimal morbidity is expected based on the
procedure performed and the granulocyte and platelet count. Biopsy
tissue will be processed in the Surgery Branch Cell Production
Facility in the presence of a Pathology Laboratory pathologist and
part of all biopsy tissue will go to the Laboratory of Pathology.
Studies will be performed to evaluate the antigen expression by the
tumor and to evaluate the reactivity of lymphocytes grown from
these biopsies. In addition the presence of transduced cells will
be quantitated using RT-PCR for vector sequences.
Immunological Testing:
[0263] Apheresis will be performed, prior to and 4-6 weeks after
the treatment. At other time points, patient peripheral blood
lymphocytes (PBL) will be obtained from whole blood by purification
using centrifugation on a Ficoll cushion. Aliquots of these PBMC
will be: cryopreserved for immunological monitoring of cell
function and subjected to DNA and RNA extraction for PCR analysis
of CAR and vector copy number estimation.
[0264] Lymphocytes will be tested directly and following in vitro
culture. Direct immunological monitoring will quantify T cells
reactive with Her-2 by FACS analysis using tetramer staining. Ex
vivo immunological assays will include cytokine release by bulk PBL
(+/- peptide stimulation) and other experimental studies such as
cytolysis if sufficient cells are available. If cell numbers are
limiting, preference will be given to the direct analysis of
immunological activity. Immunological assays will be standardized
by the inclusion of 1) pre-infusion PBMC and 2) an aliquot of the
engineered PBL cryopreserved at the time of infusion. In general,
differences of 2 to 3 fold in these assays are indicative of true
biologic differences. Foxp3 levels will be analyzed by
semiquantitative RT-PCR to evaluate for mRNA on PBL samples
obtained prior to cell infusion and at the follow up time
point.
Monitoring Gene Therapy Trials: Persistence and
Replication-Competent Retrovirus (RCR):
[0265] Engineered cell survival: CAR and vector presence will be
quantitated in PBMC samples using established PCR techniques.
Immunological monitoring using both tetramer analysis and staining
for the CAR will be used to augment PCR-based analysis. This will
provide data to estimate the in vivo survival of lymphocytes
derived from the infused cells. In addition, measurement of CD4 and
CD8 T-cells will be conducted and studies of these T-cell subsets
in the circulation will be determined by using specific PCR assays
capable of detecting the unique DNA sequence for each retroviral
vector engineered T-cell.
[0266] Patient blood samples will be obtained and undergo analysis
for detection of RCR by PCR prior to cell infusion and RCR PCR will
be performed at 3 and 6 months, and at one year post cell
administration. Blood samples will be archived annually thereafter
if all previous testing has been negative with a brief clinical
history. If a patient dies or develops neoplasms during this trial,
efforts will be made to assay a biopsy sample for RCR. If any
post-treatment samples are positive, further analysis of the RCR
and more extensive patient follow-up will be undertaken, in
consultation with the FDA. RCR PCR assays detect the GaLV envelope
gene and are performed under contract by the National Gene Vector
Laboratory at Indiana University. The results of these tests are
maintained by the contractor performing the RCR tests and by the
Surgery Branch research team.
[0267] Due to nature of these studies, it is possible that
expansion of specific T-cell clones will be observed as tumor
reactive T-cells proliferating in response to tumor antigens.
Therefore, care will be taken to track T-cell persistence both
immunologically and molecularly. Blood samples (5-10 mL) for
persistence of CAR transduced cells will be obtained 1 month after
cell infusion, then at 3, 6, 12 months, and then annually
thereafter. If any patient shows a high level of persistence of CAR
gene transduced cells at month 6 (by semi quantitative DNA-PCR
using primers specific for vector sequences) the previously
archived samples will be subjected to techniques that would allow
the identification of clonality of persisting CAR gene transduced
cells. Such techniques may include T cell cloning or LAM-PCR 30. If
a predominant or monoclonal T cell clone derived from CAR gene
transduced cells is identified during the follow-up, the
integration site and sequence will be identified and subsequently
analyzed against human genome database to determine whether the
sequences are associated with any known human cancers. If a
predominant integration site is observed, the T cell cloning or
LAM-PCR test will be used at an interval of no more than three
months after the first observation to see if the clone persists or
is transient. In all instances where monoclonality is persistent
and particularly in instances where there is expansion of the
clone, regardless of whether or not the sequence is known to be
associated with a known human cancer, the subject should be
monitored closely for signs of malignancy, so that treatment, if
available, may be initiated early.
Post Study Evaluation (Follow-Up):
[0268] Patients will be evaluated 4 to 6 weeks after the initial
treatment regimen (defined as the end of the last aldesleukin dose)
in accordance with Table 10.
TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 10 Physical examination Chem 20: (Sodium (Na),
Potassium (K), Chloride (Cl), Total CO.sup.2 (bicarbonate),
Creatinine, Glucose, Urea nitrogen (BUN), Albumin, Calcium total,
Magnesium total (Mg), Inorganic Phosphorus, Alkaline Phosphatase,
ALT/GPT, AST/GOT, Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin, LD, Total
Protein, Total CK, Uric Acid), complete blood count and thyroid
panel Toxicity assessment Computed tomography (CT) of the chest,
abdomen and pelvis. This end of course evaluation will be used to
determine tumor response. If clinically indicated, other scans or
x-rays may be performed, e.g. brain magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), bone scan. Visual symptoms will be evaluated and if changes
have occurred from baseline, i.e. changes in visual acuity, an
ophthalmologic consult will be performed. A 5 liter apheresis will
be performed. Subsequently, 60 ml of blood will be obtained at
follow up visits (approximately monthly) for at least 3 months.
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells will be cryopreserved so that
immunologic testing may be performed. Left ventricular ejection
fraction (LVEF) evaluation as assessed by either echocardiogram or
Multi Gated Acquisition (MUGA) scan will be conducted at each
follow-up evaluation. If the patient has SD or tumor shrinkage,
repeat complete evaluations will be performed monthly for
approximately 3-4 months, and then every 3-4 months until off study
criteria are met. Detection of RCR and persistence of CAR gene
transduced cells: Long-term follow up of patients receiving gene
transfer: Physical examinations will be performed and documented
annually for 5 years following cell infusion to evaluate long-term
safety. After 5 years, health status data will be obtained from
surviving patients via telephone contact or mailed questionnaires.
The long term follow up period for retroviral vectors is 15
years.
[0269] Data will be collected and evaluated as detailed below.
Evaluation of target lesions will be as follows: All measurable
lesions up to a maximum of 10 lesions representative of all
involved organs should be identified as target lesions and recorded
and measured at baseline. Target lesions should be selected on the
basis of their size (lesions with the longest diameter) and their
suitability for accurate repetitive measurements (either by imaging
techniques or clinically). A sum of the longest diameter (LD) for
all target lesions will be calculated and reported as the baseline
sum LD. The baseline sum LD will be used as reference to further
characterize the objective tumor response of the measurable
dimension of the disease. Response criteria for the evaluation of
target lesions will be as set forth in Table 11.
TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 11 Complete Response (CR) Disappearance of all
target lesions Partial Response (PR) At least a 30% decrease in the
sum of the longest diameter (LD) of target lesions taking as
reference the baseline sum LD. Progression (PD) At least a 20%
increase in the sum of LD of target lesions taking as reference the
smallest sum LD recorded since the treatment started or the
appearance of one or more new lesions. Stable Disease (SD) Neither
sufficient shrinkage to qualify for PR nor sufficient increase to
qualify for PD taking as references the smallest sum LD.
[0270] Evaluation of non-target lesions will be as follows: All
other lesions (or sites of disease) should be identified as
non-target lesions and should also be recorded at baseline.
Measurements are not required, and these lesions should be followed
as "present" or "absent." Response criteria for the evaluation of
target lesions will be as set forth in Table 12.
TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 12 Complete Response (CR) Disappearance of all
non-target lesions and normalization of tumor marker level.
Non-Complete Response Persistence of one or more non-target lesions
Progression (PD) Appearance of one or more new lesions. Unequivocal
progression of existing non-target lesions.
Evaluation of Best Overall Response
[0271] The best overall response (Table 13) is the best response
recorded from the start of the treatment until disease
progression/recurrence (taking as reference for progressive disease
the smallest measurements recorded since the treatment started).
The patient's best response assignment will depend on the
achievement of both measurement and confirmation criteria.
TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 13 Target Lesions Non-Target Lesions New
Lesions Overall Response CR CR No CR CR Non-CR/Non-PD No PR PR
Non-PD No PR SD Non-PD No SD PD Any Yes or No PD Any PD Yes or No
PD Any Any Yes PD
Confirmatory Measurement/Duration of Response
[0272] Confirmation: To be assigned a status of PR or CR, changes
in tumor measurements will be confirmed by repeat studies that
should be performed at least 4 weeks after the criteria for
response are first met. In the case of SD, follow-up measurements
will have met the SD criteria at least once after study entry at a
minimum interval of 6-8 weeks.
[0273] Duration of Overall Response: The duration of overall
response is measured from the time measurement criteria are met for
CR/PR (whichever is first recorded) until the first date that
recurrent or progressive disease is objectively documented (taking
as reference for progressive disease the smallest measurements
recorded since the treatment started). The duration of overall
complete response is measured from the time measurement criteria
are first met for CR until the first date that recurrent disease is
objectively documented.
[0274] Duration of Stable Disease: Stable disease is measured from
the start of the treatment until the criteria for progression are
met, taking as reference the smallest measurements recorded since
the treatment started.
[0275] This example demonstrated a method of administering a
population of cells expressing an anti-VEGFR2 CAR to human cancer
patients.
[0276] All references, including publications, patent applications,
and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to
the same extent as if each reference were individually and
specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set
forth in its entirety herein.
[0277] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar
referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in
the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover
both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein
or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising,"
"having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as
open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,")
unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are
merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring
individually to each separate value falling within the range,
unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is
incorporated into the specification as if it were individually
recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in
any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise
clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples,
or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is
intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not
pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise
claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as
indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of
the invention.
[0278] Preferred embodiments of this invention are described
herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying
out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading
the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to
employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for
the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically
described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all
modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the
claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover,
any combination of the above-described elements in all possible
variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise
indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Sequence CWU 1
1
721260PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 1Met Asp Phe Gln Val Gln Ile
Phe Ser Phe Leu Leu Ile Ser Ala Ser 1 5 10 15 Val Ile Met Ser Arg
Gly Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser 20 25 30 Val Ser Ala
Ser Ile Gly Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Arg Ala Ser 35 40 45 Gln
Gly Ile Asp Asn Trp Leu Gly Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys 50 55
60 Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Asp Ala Ser Asn Leu Asp Thr Gly Val
65 70 75 80 Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Tyr Phe Thr
Leu Thr 85 90 95 Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Ala Glu Asp Phe Ala Val Tyr
Phe Cys Gln Gln 100 105 110 Ala Lys Ala Phe Pro Pro Thr Phe Gly Gly
Gly Thr Lys Val Asp Ile 115 120 125 Lys Gly Ser Thr Ser Gly Ser Gly
Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser 130 135 140 Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln
Ser Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Lys Pro Gly Gly 145 150 155 160 Ser Leu Arg
Leu Ser Cys Ala Ala Ser Gly Phe Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr 165 170 175 Ser
Met Asn Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys Gly Leu Glu Trp Val 180 185
190 Ser Ser Ile Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Tyr Ile Tyr Tyr Ala Asp Ser Val
195 200 205 Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp Asn Ala Lys Asn Ser
Leu Tyr 210 215 220 Leu Gln Met Asn Ser Leu Arg Ala Glu Asp Thr Ala
Val Tyr Tyr Cys 225 230 235 240 Ala Arg Val Thr Asp Ala Phe Asp Ile
Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Met Val 245 250 255 Thr Val Ser Ser 260
2265PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 2Met Gly Trp Ser Cys Ile Ile
Leu Phe Leu Val Ala Thr Ala Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val His Ser Glu Val
Gln Leu Val Glu Thr Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln 20 25 30 Pro Gly Asn
Ser Leu Lys Leu Ser Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Phe Ile Phe 35 40 45 Ser
Thr Thr Trp Met Asn Trp Ile Arg Gln Thr Pro Gly Lys Arg Leu 50 55
60 Glu Trp Leu Ala Gln Ile Glu Asp Lys Ser Asn Asn Tyr Phe Ile Ser
65 70 75 80 Tyr Ser Glu Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp
Asp Ser 85 90 95 Lys Ser Ser Val Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Asn Leu Lys
Glu Glu Asp Thr 100 105 110 Ala Ile Tyr Tyr Cys Ser Trp Lys Tyr Arg
Ser Asn Tyr Tyr Phe Asp 115 120 125 Tyr Trp Gly Gln Gly Val Met Val
Thr Val Ser Ser Gly Ser Thr Ser 130 135 140 Gly Ser Gly Lys Pro Gly
Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser Asp Ile Val Leu Thr 145 150 155 160 Gln Ser Pro
Ala Leu Ala Val Ser Leu Glu Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile Ser 165 170 175 Cys
Lys Thr Ser Gln Asn Val Asp Tyr Tyr Gly Ile Ser Tyr Leu His 180 185
190 Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Gln Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Glu
195 200 205 Gly Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly
Ser Gly 210 215 220 Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Asp Pro Val
Glu Ala Asp Asp 225 230 235 240 Ile Val Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Ser
Lys Asp Tyr Pro Tyr Thr Phe 245 250 255 Gly Ala Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu
Leu Lys 260 265 383PRTHomo sapiens 3Phe Val Pro Val Phe Leu Pro Ala
Lys Pro Thr Thr Thr Pro Ala Pro 1 5 10 15 Arg Pro Pro Thr Pro Ala
Pro Thr Ile Ala Ser Gln Pro Leu Ser Leu 20 25 30 Arg Pro Glu Ala
Cys Arg Pro Ala Ala Gly Gly Ala Val His Thr Arg 35 40 45 Gly Leu
Asp Phe Ala Cys Asp Ile Tyr Ile Trp Ala Pro Leu Ala Gly 50 55 60
Thr Cys Gly Val Leu Leu Leu Ser Leu Val Ile Thr Leu Tyr Cys Asn 65
70 75 80 His Arg Asn 472PRTMus musculus 4Thr Thr Thr Lys Pro Val
Leu Arg Thr Pro Ser Pro Val His Pro Thr 1 5 10 15 Gly Thr Ser Gln
Pro Gln Arg Pro Glu Asp Cys Arg Pro Arg Gly Ser 20 25 30 Val Lys
Gly Thr Gly Leu Asp Phe Ala Cys Asp Ile Tyr Ile Trp Ala 35 40 45
Pro Leu Ala Gly Ile Cys Val Ala Leu Leu Leu Ser Leu Ile Ile Thr 50
55 60 Leu Ile Cys Tyr His Arg Ser Arg 65 70 5200PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 5Arg Ser Lys Arg Ser Arg Leu Leu His Ser Asp Tyr
Met Asn Met Thr 1 5 10 15 Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly Pro Thr Arg Lys His
Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro 20 25 30 Pro Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg
Ser Arg Phe Ser Val Val Lys Arg 35 40 45 Gly Arg Lys Lys Leu Leu
Tyr Ile Phe Lys Gln Pro Phe Met Arg Pro 50 55 60 Val Gln Thr Thr
Gln Glu Glu Asp Gly Cys Ser Cys Arg Phe Pro Glu 65 70 75 80 Glu Glu
Glu Gly Gly Cys Glu Leu Arg Val Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala 85 90 95
Asp Ala Pro Ala Tyr Gln Gln Gly Gln Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu 100
105 110 Asn Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Asp Lys Arg Arg
Gly 115 120 125 Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Pro Arg Arg Lys Asn
Pro Gln Glu 130 135 140 Gly Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys Met
Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser 145 150 155 160 Glu Ile Gly Met Lys Gly Glu Arg
Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His Asp Gly 165 170 175 Leu Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser
Thr Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu 180 185 190 His Met Gln Ala
Leu Pro Pro Arg 195 200 6199PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 6Asn
Ser Arg Arg Asn Arg Leu Leu Gln Val Thr Thr Met Asn Met Thr 1 5 10
15 Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly Leu Thr Arg Lys Pro Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro
20 25 30 Ala Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Pro Lys Trp Ile Arg Lys
Lys Phe 35 40 45 Pro His Ile Phe Lys Gln Pro Phe Lys Lys Thr Thr
Gly Ala Ala Gln 50 55 60 Glu Glu Asp Ala Cys Ser Cys Arg Cys Pro
Gln Glu Glu Glu Gly Gly 65 70 75 80 Gly Gly Gly Tyr Glu Leu Arg Ala
Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala Glu Thr 85 90 95 Ala Ala Asn Leu Gln Asp
Pro Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn Leu 100 105 110 Gly Arg Arg Glu
Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Lys Arg Ala Arg Asp 115 120 125 Pro Glu
Met Gly Gly Lys Gln Gln Arg Arg Arg Asn Pro Gln Glu Gly 130 135 140
Val Tyr Asn Ala Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser Glu 145
150 155 160 Ile Gly Thr Lys Gly Glu Arg Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His Asp
Gly Leu 165 170 175 Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr
Asp Ala Leu His 180 185 190 Met Gln Thr Leu Ala Pro Arg 195
7106PRTHomo sapiens 7Ile Glu Val Met Tyr Pro Pro Pro Tyr Leu Asp
Asn Glu Lys Ser Asn 1 5 10 15 Gly Thr Ile Ile His Val Lys Gly Lys
His Leu Cys Pro Ser Pro Leu 20 25 30 Phe Pro Gly Pro Ser Lys Pro
Phe Trp Val Leu Val Val Val Gly Gly 35 40 45 Val Leu Ala Cys Tyr
Ser Leu Leu Val Thr Val Ala Phe Ile Ile Phe 50 55 60 Trp Arg Ser
Lys Arg Ser Arg Leu Leu His Ser Asp Tyr Met Asn Met 65 70 75 80 Thr
Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly Pro Thr Arg Lys His Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala 85 90
95 Pro Pro Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Ser 100 105 8112PRTHomo
sapiens 8Arg Val Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala Asp Ala Pro Ala Tyr Gln
Gln Gly 1 5 10 15 Gln Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn Leu Gly Arg
Arg Glu Glu Tyr 20 25 30 Asp Val Leu Asp Lys Arg Arg Gly Arg Asp
Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys 35 40 45 Pro Arg Arg Lys Asn Pro Gln Glu
Gly Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Gln Lys 50 55 60 Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala
Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Met Lys Gly Glu Arg 65 70 75 80 Arg Arg Gly Lys
Gly His Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala 85 90 95 Thr Lys
Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu His Met Gln Ala Leu Pro Pro Arg 100 105 110
9154PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 9Asn Ser Arg Arg Asn Arg Leu
Leu Gln Val Thr Thr Met Asn Met Thr 1 5 10 15 Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly
Leu Thr Arg Lys Pro Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro 20 25 30 Ala Arg Asp
Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Pro Arg Ala Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser 35 40 45 Ala
Glu Thr Ala Ala Asn Leu Gln Asp Pro Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu 50 55
60 Leu Asn Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Lys Arg
65 70 75 80 Ala Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Gln Gln Arg Arg Arg
Asn Pro 85 90 95 Gln Glu Gly Val Tyr Asn Ala Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys
Met Ala Glu Ala 100 105 110 Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Thr Lys Gly Glu Arg
Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His 115 120 125 Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser
Thr Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr Asp 130 135 140 Ala Leu His Met Gln Thr
Leu Ala Pro Arg 145 150 10546PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 10Met
Asp Phe Gln Val Gln Ile Phe Ser Phe Leu Leu Ile Ser Ala Ser 1 5 10
15 Val Ile Met Ser Arg Gly Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser
20 25 30 Val Ser Ala Ser Ile Gly Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Arg
Ala Ser 35 40 45 Gln Gly Ile Asp Asn Trp Leu Gly Trp Tyr Gln Gln
Lys Pro Gly Lys 50 55 60 Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Asp Ala Ser
Asn Leu Asp Thr Gly Val 65 70 75 80 Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly
Ser Gly Thr Tyr Phe Thr Leu Thr 85 90 95 Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Ala
Glu Asp Phe Ala Val Tyr Phe Cys Gln Gln 100 105 110 Ala Lys Ala Phe
Pro Pro Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Asp Ile 115 120 125 Lys Gly
Ser Thr Ser Gly Ser Gly Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser 130 135 140
Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Lys Pro Gly Gly 145
150 155 160 Ser Leu Arg Leu Ser Cys Ala Ala Ser Gly Phe Thr Phe Ser
Ser Tyr 165 170 175 Ser Met Asn Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys Gly
Leu Glu Trp Val 180 185 190 Ser Ser Ile Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Tyr Ile
Tyr Tyr Ala Asp Ser Val 195 200 205 Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg
Asp Asn Ala Lys Asn Ser Leu Tyr 210 215 220 Leu Gln Met Asn Ser Leu
Arg Ala Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 225 230 235 240 Ala Arg Val
Thr Asp Ala Phe Asp Ile Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Met Val 245 250 255 Thr
Val Ser Ser Ala Ala Ala Phe Val Pro Val Phe Leu Pro Ala Lys 260 265
270 Pro Thr Thr Thr Pro Ala Pro Arg Pro Pro Thr Pro Ala Pro Thr Ile
275 280 285 Ala Ser Gln Pro Leu Ser Leu Arg Pro Glu Ala Cys Arg Pro
Ala Ala 290 295 300 Gly Gly Ala Val His Thr Arg Gly Leu Asp Phe Ala
Cys Asp Ile Tyr 305 310 315 320 Ile Trp Ala Pro Leu Ala Gly Thr Cys
Gly Val Leu Leu Leu Ser Leu 325 330 335 Val Ile Thr Leu Tyr Cys Asn
His Arg Asn Arg Ser Lys Arg Ser Arg 340 345 350 Leu Leu His Ser Asp
Tyr Met Asn Met Thr Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly Pro 355 360 365 Thr Arg Lys
His Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro Pro Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala 370 375 380 Tyr
Arg Ser Arg Phe Ser Val Val Lys Arg Gly Arg Lys Lys Leu Leu 385 390
395 400 Tyr Ile Phe Lys Gln Pro Phe Met Arg Pro Val Gln Thr Thr Gln
Glu 405 410 415 Glu Asp Gly Cys Ser Cys Arg Phe Pro Glu Glu Glu Glu
Gly Gly Cys 420 425 430 Glu Leu Arg Val Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala Asp
Ala Pro Ala Tyr Gln 435 440 445 Gln Gly Gln Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu
Leu Asn Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu 450 455 460 Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Asp Lys
Arg Arg Gly Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly 465 470 475 480 Gly Lys Pro Arg
Arg Lys Asn Pro Gln Glu Gly Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu 485 490 495 Gln Lys
Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Met Lys Gly 500 505 510
Glu Arg Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser 515
520 525 Thr Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu His Met Gln Ala Leu
Pro 530 535 540 Pro Arg 545 11481PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic
11Met Asp Phe Gln Val Gln Ile Phe Ser Phe Leu Leu Ile Ser Ala Ser 1
5 10 15 Val Ile Met Ser Arg Gly Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser
Ser 20 25 30 Val Ser Ala Ser Ile Gly Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys
Arg Ala Ser 35 40 45 Gln Gly Ile Asp Asn Trp Leu Gly Trp Tyr Gln
Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys 50 55 60 Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Asp Ala
Ser Asn Leu Asp Thr Gly Val 65 70 75 80 Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser
Gly Ser Gly Thr Tyr Phe Thr Leu Thr 85 90 95 Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln
Ala Glu Asp Phe Ala Val Tyr Phe Cys Gln Gln 100 105 110 Ala Lys Ala
Phe Pro Pro Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Asp Ile 115 120 125 Lys
Gly Ser Thr Ser Gly Ser Gly Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser 130 135
140 Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Lys Pro Gly Gly
145 150 155 160 Ser Leu Arg Leu Ser Cys Ala Ala Ser Gly Phe Thr Phe
Ser Ser Tyr 165 170 175 Ser Met Asn Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Lys
Gly Leu Glu Trp Val 180 185 190 Ser Ser Ile Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Tyr
Ile Tyr Tyr Ala Asp Ser Val 195 200 205 Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser
Arg Asp Asn Ala Lys Asn Ser Leu Tyr 210 215 220 Leu Gln Met Asn Ser
Leu Arg Ala Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 225 230 235 240 Ala Arg
Val Thr Asp Ala Phe Asp Ile Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Met Val 245 250 255
Thr Val Ser Ser
Ala Ala Ala Ile Glu Val Met Tyr Pro Pro Pro Tyr 260 265 270 Leu Asp
Asn Glu Lys Ser Asn Gly Thr Ile Ile His Val Lys Gly Lys 275 280 285
His Leu Cys Pro Ser Pro Leu Phe Pro Gly Pro Ser Lys Pro Phe Trp 290
295 300 Val Leu Val Val Val Gly Gly Val Leu Ala Cys Tyr Ser Leu Leu
Val 305 310 315 320 Thr Val Ala Phe Ile Ile Phe Trp Arg Ser Lys Arg
Ser Arg Leu Leu 325 330 335 His Ser Asp Tyr Met Asn Met Thr Pro Arg
Arg Pro Gly Pro Thr Arg 340 345 350 Lys His Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro
Pro Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg 355 360 365 Ser Arg Val Lys Phe Ser
Arg Ser Ala Asp Ala Pro Ala Tyr Gln Gln 370 375 380 Gly Gln Asn Gln
Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu 385 390 395 400 Tyr
Asp Val Leu Asp Lys Arg Arg Gly Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly 405 410
415 Lys Pro Arg Arg Lys Asn Pro Gln Glu Gly Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Gln
420 425 430 Lys Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Met Lys
Gly Glu 435 440 445 Arg Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln
Gly Leu Ser Thr 450 455 460 Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu His
Met Gln Ala Leu Pro Pro 465 470 475 480 Arg 12539PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 12Met Gly Trp Ser Cys Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala
Thr Ala Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val His Ser Glu Val Gln Leu Val Glu Thr
Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln 20 25 30 Pro Gly Asn Ser Leu Lys Leu Ser
Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Phe Ile Phe 35 40 45 Ser Thr Thr Trp Met Asn
Trp Ile Arg Gln Thr Pro Gly Lys Arg Leu 50 55 60 Glu Trp Leu Ala
Gln Ile Glu Asp Lys Ser Asn Asn Tyr Phe Ile Ser 65 70 75 80 Tyr Ser
Glu Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp Asp Ser 85 90 95
Lys Ser Ser Val Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Asn Leu Lys Glu Glu Asp Thr 100
105 110 Ala Ile Tyr Tyr Cys Ser Trp Lys Tyr Arg Ser Asn Tyr Tyr Phe
Asp 115 120 125 Tyr Trp Gly Gln Gly Val Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser Gly
Ser Thr Ser 130 135 140 Gly Ser Gly Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser
Asp Ile Val Leu Thr 145 150 155 160 Gln Ser Pro Ala Leu Ala Val Ser
Leu Glu Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile Ser 165 170 175 Cys Lys Thr Ser Gln Asn
Val Asp Tyr Tyr Gly Ile Ser Tyr Leu His 180 185 190 Trp Tyr Gln Gln
Lys Pro Gly Gln Gln Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Glu 195 200 205 Gly Ser
Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly 210 215 220
Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Asp Pro Val Glu Ala Asp Asp 225
230 235 240 Ile Val Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Ser Lys Asp Tyr Pro Tyr
Thr Phe 245 250 255 Gly Ala Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu Leu Lys Ala Ala Ala
Thr Thr Thr Lys 260 265 270 Pro Val Leu Arg Thr Pro Ser Pro Val His
Pro Thr Gly Thr Ser Gln 275 280 285 Pro Gln Arg Pro Glu Asp Cys Arg
Pro Arg Gly Ser Val Lys Gly Thr 290 295 300 Gly Leu Asp Phe Ala Cys
Asp Ile Tyr Ile Trp Ala Pro Leu Ala Gly 305 310 315 320 Ile Cys Val
Ala Leu Leu Leu Ser Leu Ile Ile Thr Leu Ile Cys Tyr 325 330 335 His
Arg Ser Arg Asn Ser Arg Arg Asn Arg Leu Leu Gln Val Thr Thr 340 345
350 Met Asn Met Thr Pro Arg Arg Pro Gly Leu Thr Arg Lys Pro Tyr Gln
355 360 365 Pro Tyr Ala Pro Ala Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Pro Lys
Trp Ile 370 375 380 Arg Lys Lys Phe Pro His Ile Phe Lys Gln Pro Phe
Lys Lys Thr Thr 385 390 395 400 Gly Ala Ala Gln Glu Glu Asp Ala Cys
Ser Cys Arg Cys Pro Gln Glu 405 410 415 Glu Glu Gly Gly Gly Gly Gly
Tyr Glu Leu Arg Ala Lys Phe Ser Arg 420 425 430 Ser Ala Glu Thr Ala
Ala Asn Leu Gln Asp Pro Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn 435 440 445 Glu Leu Asn
Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Glu Lys Lys 450 455 460 Arg
Ala Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Gln Gln Arg Arg Arg Asn 465 470
475 480 Pro Gln Glu Gly Val Tyr Asn Ala Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys Met Ala
Glu 485 490 495 Ala Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Thr Lys Gly Glu Arg Arg Arg
Gly Lys Gly 500 505 510 His Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala
Thr Lys Asp Thr Tyr 515 520 525 Asp Ala Leu His Met Gln Thr Leu Ala
Pro Arg 530 535 13494PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 13Met Gly Trp
Ser Cys Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala Thr Ala Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val
His Ser Glu Val Gln Leu Val Glu Thr Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln 20 25
30 Pro Gly Asn Ser Leu Lys Leu Ser Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Phe Ile Phe
35 40 45 Ser Thr Thr Trp Met Asn Trp Ile Arg Gln Thr Pro Gly Lys
Arg Leu 50 55 60 Glu Trp Leu Ala Gln Ile Glu Asp Lys Ser Asn Asn
Tyr Phe Ile Ser 65 70 75 80 Tyr Ser Glu Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr
Ile Ser Arg Asp Asp Ser 85 90 95 Lys Ser Ser Val Tyr Leu Gln Met
Asn Asn Leu Lys Glu Glu Asp Thr 100 105 110 Ala Ile Tyr Tyr Cys Ser
Trp Lys Tyr Arg Ser Asn Tyr Tyr Phe Asp 115 120 125 Tyr Trp Gly Gln
Gly Val Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser Gly Ser Thr Ser 130 135 140 Gly Ser
Gly Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser Asp Ile Val Leu Thr 145 150 155
160 Gln Ser Pro Ala Leu Ala Val Ser Leu Glu Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile Ser
165 170 175 Cys Lys Thr Ser Gln Asn Val Asp Tyr Tyr Gly Ile Ser Tyr
Leu His 180 185 190 Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Gln Pro Lys Leu
Leu Ile Tyr Glu 195 200 205 Gly Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala
Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly 210 215 220 Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr
Ile Asp Pro Val Glu Ala Asp Asp 225 230 235 240 Ile Val Thr Tyr Tyr
Cys Gln Gln Ser Lys Asp Tyr Pro Tyr Thr Phe 245 250 255 Gly Ala Gly
Thr Lys Leu Glu Leu Lys Ala Ala Ala Thr Thr Thr Lys 260 265 270 Pro
Val Leu Arg Thr Pro Ser Pro Val His Pro Thr Gly Thr Ser Gln 275 280
285 Pro Gln Arg Pro Glu Asp Cys Arg Pro Arg Gly Ser Val Lys Gly Thr
290 295 300 Gly Leu Asp Phe Ala Cys Asp Ile Tyr Ile Trp Ala Pro Leu
Ala Gly 305 310 315 320 Ile Cys Val Ala Leu Leu Leu Ser Leu Ile Ile
Thr Leu Ile Cys Tyr 325 330 335 His Arg Ser Arg Asn Ser Arg Arg Asn
Arg Leu Leu Gln Val Thr Thr 340 345 350 Met Asn Met Thr Pro Arg Arg
Pro Gly Leu Thr Arg Lys Pro Tyr Gln 355 360 365 Pro Tyr Ala Pro Ala
Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Pro Arg Ala Lys 370 375 380 Phe Ser Arg
Ser Ala Glu Thr Ala Ala Asn Leu Gln Asp Pro Asn Gln 385 390 395 400
Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn Leu Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu 405
410 415 Glu Lys Lys Arg Ala Arg Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Gln Gln
Arg 420 425 430 Arg Arg Asn Pro Gln Glu Gly Val Tyr Asn Ala Leu Gln
Lys Asp Lys 435 440 445 Met Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser Glu Ile Gly Thr Lys
Gly Glu Arg Arg Arg 450 455 460 Gly Lys Gly His Asp Gly Leu Tyr Gln
Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala Thr Lys 465 470 475 480 Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu
His Met Gln Thr Leu Ala Pro Arg 485 490 14551PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 14Met Gly Trp Ser Cys Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala
Thr Ala Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val His Ser Glu Val Gln Leu Val Glu Thr
Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln 20 25 30 Pro Gly Asn Ser Leu Lys Leu Ser
Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Phe Ile Phe 35 40 45 Ser Thr Thr Trp Met Asn
Trp Ile Arg Gln Thr Pro Gly Lys Arg Leu 50 55 60 Glu Trp Leu Ala
Gln Ile Glu Asp Lys Ser Asn Asn Tyr Phe Ile Ser 65 70 75 80 Tyr Ser
Glu Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser Arg Asp Asp Ser 85 90 95
Lys Ser Ser Val Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Asn Leu Lys Glu Glu Asp Thr 100
105 110 Ala Ile Tyr Tyr Cys Ser Trp Lys Tyr Arg Ser Asn Tyr Tyr Phe
Asp 115 120 125 Tyr Trp Gly Gln Gly Val Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser Gly
Ser Thr Ser 130 135 140 Gly Ser Gly Lys Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser
Asp Ile Val Leu Thr 145 150 155 160 Gln Ser Pro Ala Leu Ala Val Ser
Leu Glu Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile Ser 165 170 175 Cys Lys Thr Ser Gln Asn
Val Asp Tyr Tyr Gly Ile Ser Tyr Leu His 180 185 190 Trp Tyr Gln Gln
Lys Pro Gly Gln Gln Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile Tyr Glu 195 200 205 Gly Ser
Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser Gly 210 215 220
Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Asp Pro Val Glu Ala Asp Asp 225
230 235 240 Ile Val Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Ser Lys Asp Tyr Pro Tyr
Thr Phe 245 250 255 Gly Ala Gly Thr Lys Leu Glu Leu Lys Ala Ala Ala
Phe Val Pro Val 260 265 270 Phe Leu Pro Ala Lys Pro Thr Thr Thr Pro
Ala Pro Arg Pro Pro Thr 275 280 285 Pro Ala Pro Thr Ile Ala Ser Gln
Pro Leu Ser Leu Arg Pro Glu Ala 290 295 300 Cys Arg Pro Ala Ala Gly
Gly Ala Val His Thr Arg Gly Leu Asp Phe 305 310 315 320 Ala Cys Asp
Ile Tyr Ile Trp Ala Pro Leu Ala Gly Thr Cys Gly Val 325 330 335 Leu
Leu Leu Ser Leu Val Ile Thr Leu Tyr Cys Asn His Arg Asn Arg 340 345
350 Ser Lys Arg Ser Arg Leu Leu His Ser Asp Tyr Met Asn Met Thr Pro
355 360 365 Arg Arg Pro Gly Pro Thr Arg Lys His Tyr Gln Pro Tyr Ala
Pro Pro 370 375 380 Arg Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Ser Arg Phe Ser Val
Val Lys Arg Gly 385 390 395 400 Arg Lys Lys Leu Leu Tyr Ile Phe Lys
Gln Pro Phe Met Arg Pro Val 405 410 415 Gln Thr Thr Gln Glu Glu Asp
Gly Cys Ser Cys Arg Phe Pro Glu Glu 420 425 430 Glu Glu Gly Gly Cys
Glu Leu Arg Val Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala Asp 435 440 445 Ala Pro Ala
Tyr Gln Gln Gly Gln Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn 450 455 460 Leu
Gly Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Asp Lys Arg Arg Gly Arg 465 470
475 480 Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Pro Arg Arg Lys Asn Pro Gln Glu
Gly 485 490 495 Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala
Tyr Ser Glu 500 505 510 Ile Gly Met Lys Gly Glu Arg Arg Arg Gly Lys
Gly His Asp Gly Leu 515 520 525 Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala Thr Lys
Asp Thr Tyr Asp Ala Leu His 530 535 540 Met Gln Ala Leu Pro Pro Arg
545 550 15487PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic 15Met Gly Trp Ser Cys
Ile Ile Leu Phe Leu Val Ala Thr Ala Thr Gly 1 5 10 15 Val His Ser
Glu Val Gln Leu Val Glu Thr Gly Gly Gly Leu Val Gln 20 25 30 Pro
Gly Asn Ser Leu Lys Leu Ser Cys Ala Thr Ser Gly Phe Ile Phe 35 40
45 Ser Thr Thr Trp Met Asn Trp Ile Arg Gln Thr Pro Gly Lys Arg Leu
50 55 60 Glu Trp Leu Ala Gln Ile Glu Asp Lys Ser Asn Asn Tyr Phe
Ile Ser 65 70 75 80 Tyr Ser Glu Ser Val Lys Gly Arg Phe Thr Ile Ser
Arg Asp Asp Ser 85 90 95 Lys Ser Ser Val Tyr Leu Gln Met Asn Asn
Leu Lys Glu Glu Asp Thr 100 105 110 Ala Ile Tyr Tyr Cys Ser Trp Lys
Tyr Arg Ser Asn Tyr Tyr Phe Asp 115 120 125 Tyr Trp Gly Gln Gly Val
Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser Gly Ser Thr Ser 130 135 140 Gly Ser Gly Lys
Pro Gly Ser Gly Glu Gly Ser Asp Ile Val Leu Thr 145 150 155 160 Gln
Ser Pro Ala Leu Ala Val Ser Leu Glu Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile Ser 165 170
175 Cys Lys Thr Ser Gln Asn Val Asp Tyr Tyr Gly Ile Ser Tyr Leu His
180 185 190 Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Gln Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile
Tyr Glu 195 200 205 Gly Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe
Ser Gly Ser Gly 210 215 220 Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Asp
Pro Val Glu Ala Asp Asp 225 230 235 240 Ile Val Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln
Gln Ser Lys Asp Tyr Pro Tyr Thr Phe 245 250 255 Gly Ala Gly Thr Lys
Leu Glu Leu Lys Ala Ala Ala Ile Glu Val Met 260 265 270 Tyr Pro Pro
Pro Tyr Leu Asp Asn Glu Lys Ser Asn Gly Thr Ile Ile 275 280 285 His
Val Lys Gly Lys His Leu Cys Pro Ser Pro Leu Phe Pro Gly Pro 290 295
300 Ser Lys Pro Phe Trp Val Leu Val Val Val Gly Gly Val Leu Ala Cys
305 310 315 320 Tyr Ser Leu Leu Val Thr Val Ala Phe Ile Ile Phe Trp
Val Arg Ser 325 330 335 Lys Arg Ser Arg Leu Leu His Ser Asp Tyr Met
Asn Met Thr Pro Arg 340 345 350 Arg Pro Gly Pro Thr Arg Lys His Tyr
Gln Pro Tyr Ala Pro Pro Arg 355 360 365 Asp Phe Ala Ala Tyr Arg Ser
Arg Val Lys Phe Ser Arg Ser Ala Asp 370 375 380 Ala Pro Ala Tyr Gln
Gln Gly Gln Asn Gln Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Asn 385 390 395 400 Leu Gly
Arg Arg Glu Glu Tyr Asp Val Leu Asp Lys Arg Arg Gly Arg 405 410 415
Asp Pro Glu Met Gly Gly Lys Pro Arg Arg Lys Asn Pro Gln Glu Gly 420
425 430 Leu Tyr Asn Glu Leu Gln Lys Asp Lys Met Ala Glu Ala Tyr Ser
Glu 435 440 445 Ile Gly Met Lys Gly Glu Arg Arg Arg Gly Lys Gly His
Asp Gly Leu 450 455 460 Tyr Gln Gly Leu Ser Thr Ala Thr Lys Asp Thr
Tyr Asp Ala Leu His 465 470 475 480 Met Gln Ala
Leu Pro Pro Arg 485 161641DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
16atggacttcc aggtgcagat cttctctttc ctgctgatta gtgcctccgt catcatgtcc
60agaggcgata tccagatgac acagtccccc agttcagtgt ccgcgtccat cggggaccgt
120gtcaccatta cctgtcgcgc cagtcaaggc atcgacaact ggctggggtg
gtaccagcaa 180aagccaggga aggcgccaaa actgctgatc tatgatgcga
gcaacctcga cactggagtc 240cccagtaggt tctccggatc ggggtccggc
acgtacttca ccttgaccat ctccagcctc 300caggccgagg atttcgctgt
ttacttctgc cagcaggcaa aagcgtttcc gcccaccttc 360ggcgggggca
ccaaggtgga cataaaaggc agtaccagcg gatccggcaa gccgggctct
420ggcgaaggtt ccgaagtcca gttggtgcag tccggtggtg gcctggtcaa
gccgggtggg 480agtctcaggc tctcctgcgc cgcttcaggg ttcacattct
cttcgtattc catgaactgg 540gtgcgccagg cgccaggcaa ggggctggag
tgggtcagtt cgatttcaag ttcgtcctcc 600tacatctatt acgccgactc
agtcaagggc cgcttcacaa tctccagaga caacgctaag 660aactcgctgt
acctccaaat gaactcgctg cgcgccgaag acaccgccgt gtactattgc
720gcgagagtga ctgatgcctt cgacatatgg ggccagggaa cgatggtgac
cgtgagtagt 780gcggccgcat tcgtgccggt cttcctgcca gcgaagccca
ccacgacgcc agcgccgcga 840ccaccaacac cggcgcccac catcgcgtcg
cagcccctgt ccctgcgccc agaggcgtgc 900cggccagcgg cggggggcgc
agtgcacacg agggggctgg acttcgcctg tgatatctac 960atctgggcgc
ccttggccgg gacttgtggg gtccttctcc tgtcactggt tatcaccctt
1020tactgcaacc acaggaacag gagtaagagg agcaggctcc tgcacagtga
ctacatgaac 1080atgactcccc gccgccccgg gcccacccgc aagcattacc
agccctatgc cccaccacgc 1140gacttcgcag cctatcgctc ccgtttctct
gttgttaaac ggggcagaaa gaaactcctg 1200tatatattca aacaaccatt
tatgagacca gtacaaacta ctcaagagga agatggctgt 1260agctgccgat
ttccagaaga agaagaagga ggatgtgaac tgagagtgaa gttcagcagg
1320agcgcagacg cccccgcgta ccagcagggc cagaaccagc tctataacga
gctcaatcta 1380ggacgaagag aggagtacga tgttttggac aagagacgtg
gccgggaccc tgagatgggg 1440ggaaagccga gaaggaagaa ccctcaggaa
ggcctgtaca atgaactgca gaaagataag 1500atggcggagg cctacagtga
gattgggatg aaaggcgagc gccggagggg caaggggcac 1560gatggccttt
accagggtct cagtacagcc accaaggaca cctacgacgc ccttcacatg
1620caggccctgc cccctcgcta a 1641171444DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 17atggacttcc aggtgcagat cttctctttc ctgctgatta
gtgcctccgt catcatgtcc 60agaggcgata tccagatgac acagtccccc agttcagtgt
ccgcgtccat cggggaccgt 120gtcaccatta cctgtcgcgc cagtcaaggc
atcgacaact ggctggggtg gtaccagcaa 180aagccaggga aggcgccaaa
actgctgatc tatgatgcga gcaacctcga cactggagtc 240cccagtaggt
tctccggatc ggggtccggc acgtacttca ccttgaccat ctccagcctc
300caggccgagg atttcgctgt ttacttctgc cagcaggcaa aagcgtttcc
gcccaccttc 360ggcgggggca ccaaggtgga cataaaaggc agtaccagcg
gatccggcaa gccgggctct 420ggcgaaggtt ccgaagtcca gttggtgcag
tccggtggtg gcctggtcaa gccgggtggg 480agtctcaggc tctcctgcgc
cgcttcaggg ttcacattct cttcgtattc catgaactgg 540gtgcgccagg
cgccaggcaa ggggctggag tgggtcagtt cgatttcaag ttcgtcctcc
600tacatctatt acgccgactc agtcaagggc cgcttcacaa tctccagaga
caacgctaag 660aactcgctgt acctccaaat gaactcgctg cgcgccgaag
acaccgccgt gtactattgc 720gcgagagtga ctgatgcctt cgacatatgg
ggccagggaa cgatggtgac cgtgagtagt 780gcggccgcaa ttgaagttat
gtatcctcct ccttacctag acaatgagaa gagcaatgga 840accattatcc
atgtgaaagg gaaacacctt tgtccaagtc ccctatttcc cggaccttct
900aagccctttt gggtgctggt ggtggttggt ggagtcctgg cttgctatag
cttgctagta 960acagtggcct ttattatttt ctgaggagta agaggagcag
gctcctgcac agtgactaca 1020tgaacatgac tccccgccgc cccgggccca
cccgcaagca ttaccagccc tatgccccac 1080cacgcgactt cgcagcctat
cgctccagag tgaagttcag caggagcgca gacgcccccg 1140cgtaccagca
gggccagaac cagctctata acgagctcat ctaggacgaa gagaggagta
1200cgatgttttg gacaagagac gtggccggga ccctgagatg gggggaaagc
cgagaaggaa 1260gaaccctcag gaaggcctgt acaatgaact gcagaaagat
aagatggcgg aggcctacag 1320tgagattggg atgaaaggcg agcgccggag
gggcaagggg cacgatggcc tttaccaggg 1380tctcagtaca gccaccaagg
acacctacga cgcccttcac atgcaggccc tgccccctcg 1440ctaa
1444181620DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 18atgggatggt catgtatcat
cctttttctg gtagcaactg caactggagt acattcagag 60gtgcagctgg tggagacagg
aggaggcttg gtacagcctg gaaattccct aaagctttcc 120tgtgccacct
caggattcat tttcagtaca acttggatga actggatccg ccagactcca
180gggaaaagac tggagtggct tgctcaaatt gaagacaaat ctaataatta
ttttatatca 240tattcggagt ctgtgaaagg aagattcacc atttcaagag
atgattccaa aagcagcgtt 300tacctgcaga tgaacaactt aaaagaggag
gacactgcca tttattactg tagttggaaa 360tataggtcca actattactt
tgattactgg ggccaaggag tcatggtcac agtctcctca 420gggtctacat
ctggatctgg gaagccgggt tctggtgagg gttctgacat tgtgctgacc
480cagtctcctg ctttggctgt gtctctagag cagagagcca ccatctcttg
caaaaccagc 540cagaatgtcg attattatgg cattagttat ttgcactggt
accaacagaa accaggacag 600caacccaaac tcctcatcta tgaagggtcc
aacttagcat ctgggatccc tgccaggttc 660agtggcagtg ggtctgggac
agacttcacc ctcaccatcg atcctgtgga ggctgatgat 720attgtaacct
attactgtca gcagagtaag gattatccgt acacgtttgg agctgggacc
780aagctggaac tgaaagcggc cgcaactact accaagccag tgctgcgaac
tccctcacct 840gtgcacccta ccgggacatc tcagccccag agaccagaag
attgtcggcc ccgtggctca 900gtgaagggga ccggattgga cttcgcctgt
gatatttaca tctgggcacc cttggccgga 960atctgcgtgg cccttctgct
gtccttgatc atcactctca tctgctacca caggagccga 1020aatagtagaa
ggaacagact ccttcaagtg actaccatga acatgactcc ccggaggcct
1080gggctcactc gaaagcctta ccagccctac gcccctgcca gagactttgc
agcgtaccgc 1140cccaaatgga tcaggaaaaa attcccccac atattcaagc
aaccatttaa gaagaccact 1200ggagcagctc aagaggaaga tgcttgtagc
tgccgatgtc cacaggaaga agaaggagga 1260ggaggaggct atgagctgag
agcaaaattc agcaggagtg cagagactgc tgccaacctg 1320caggacccca
accagctcta caatgagctc aatctagggc gaagagagga atatgacgtc
1380ttggagaaga agcgggctcg cgatccagag atgggaggca aacagcagag
gaggaggaac 1440ccccaggaag gcgtatacaa tgcactgcag aaagacaaga
tggcagaagc ctacagtgag 1500atcggcacaa aaggcgagag gcggagaggc
aaggggcacg atggccttta ccagggtctc 1560agcactgcca ccaaggacac
ctatgatgcc ctgcatatgc agaccctggc ccctcgctaa 1620191485DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 19atgggatggt catgtatcat cctttttctg gtagcaactg
caactggagt acattcagag 60gtgcagctgg tggagacagg aggaggcttg gtacagcctg
gaaattccct aaagctttcc 120tgtgccacct caggattcat tttcagtaca
acttggatga actggatccg ccagactcca 180gggaaaagac tggagtggct
tgctcaaatt gaagacaaat ctaataatta ttttatatca 240tattcggagt
ctgtgaaagg aagattcacc atttcaagag atgattccaa aagcagcgtt
300tacctgcaga tgaacaactt aaaagaggag gacactgcca tttattactg
tagttggaaa 360tataggtcca actattactt tgattactgg ggccaaggag
tcatggtcac agtctcctca 420gggtctacat ctggatctgg gaagccgggt
tctggtgagg gttctgacat tgtgctgacc 480cagtctcctg ctttggctgt
gtctctagag cagagagcca ccatctcttg caaaaccagc 540cagaatgtcg
attattatgg cattagttat ttgcactggt accaacagaa accaggacag
600caacccaaac tcctcatcta tgaagggtcc aacttagcat ctgggatccc
tgccaggttc 660agtggcagtg ggtctgggac agacttcacc ctcaccatcg
atcctgtgga ggctgatgat 720attgtaacct attactgtca gcagagtaag
gattatccgt acacgtttgg agctgggacc 780aagctggaac tgaaagcggc
cgcaactact accaagccag tgctgcgaac tccctcacct 840gtgcacccta
ccgggacatc tcagccccag agaccagaag attgtcggcc ccgtggctca
900gtgaagggga ccggattgga cttcgcctgt gatatttaca tctgggcacc
cttggccgga 960atctgcgtgg cccttctgct gtccttgatc atcactctca
tctgctacca caggagccga 1020aatagtagaa ggaacagact ccttcaagtg
actaccatga acatgactcc ccggaggcct 1080gggctcactc gaaagcctta
ccagccctac gcccctgcca gagactttgc agcgtaccgc 1140cccagagcaa
aattcagcag gagtgcagag actgctgcca acctgcagga ccccaaccag
1200ctctacaatg agctcaatct agggcgaaga gaggaatatg acgtcttgga
gaagaagcgg 1260gctcgcgatc cagagatggg aggcaaacag cagaggagga
ggaaccccca ggaaggcgta 1320tacaatgcac tgcagaaaga caagatggca
gaagcctaca gtgagatcgg cacaaaaggc 1380gagaggcgga gaggcaaggg
gcacgatggc ctttaccagg gtctcagcac tgccaccaag 1440gacacctatg
atgccctgca tatgcagacc ctggcccctc gctaa 1485201656DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 20atgggatggt catgtatcat cctttttctg gtagcaactg
caactggagt acattcagag 60gtgcagctgg tggagacagg aggaggcttg gtacagcctg
gaaattccct aaagctttcc 120tgtgccacct caggattcat tttcagtaca
acttggatga actggatccg ccagactcca 180gggaaaagac tggagtggct
tgctcaaatt gaagacaaat ctaataatta ttttatatca 240tattcggagt
ctgtgaaagg aagattcacc atttcaagag atgattccaa aagcagcgtt
300tacctgcaga tgaacaactt aaaagaggag gacactgcca tttattactg
tagttggaaa 360tataggtcca actattactt tgattactgg ggccaaggag
tcatggtcac agtctcctca 420gggtctacat ctggatctgg gaagccgggt
tctggtgagg gttctgacat tgtgctgacc 480cagtctcctg ctttggctgt
gtctctagag cagagagcca ccatctcttg caaaaccagc 540cagaatgtcg
attattatgg cattagttat ttgcactggt accaacagaa accaggacag
600caacccaaac tcctcatcta tgaagggtcc aacttagcat ctgggatccc
tgccaggttc 660agtggcagtg ggtctgggac agacttcacc ctcaccatcg
atcctgtgga ggctgatgat 720attgtaacct attactgtca gcagagtaag
gattatccgt acacgtttgg agctgggacc 780aagctggaac tgaaagcggc
cgcattcgtg ccggtcttcc tgccagcgaa gcccaccacg 840acgccagcgc
cgcgaccacc aacaccggcg cccaccatcg cgtcgcagcc cctgtccctg
900cgcccagagg cgtgccggcc agcggcgggg ggcgcagtgc acacgagggg
gctggacttc 960gcctgtgata tctacatctg ggcgcccttg gccgggactt
gtggggtcct tctcctgtca 1020ctggttatca ccctttactg caaccacagg
aacaggagta agaggagcag gctcctgcac 1080agtgactaca tgaacatgac
tccccgccgc cccgggccca cccgcaagca ttaccagccc 1140tatgccccac
cacgcgactt cgcagcctat cgctcccgtt tctctgttgt taaacggggc
1200agaaagaaac tcctgtatat attcaaacaa ccatttatga gaccagtaca
aactactcaa 1260gaggaagatg gctgtagctg ccgatttcca gaagaagaag
aaggaggatg tgaactgaga 1320gtgaagttca gcaggagcgc agacgccccc
gcgtaccagc agggccagaa ccagctctat 1380aacgagctca atctaggacg
aagagaggag tacgatgttt tggacaagag acgtggccgg 1440gaccctgaga
tggggggaaa gccgagaagg aagaaccctc aggaaggcct gtacaatgaa
1500ctgcagaaag ataagatggc ggaggcctac agtgagattg ggatgaaagg
cgagcgccgg 1560aggggcaagg ggcacgatgg cctttaccag ggtctcagta
cagccaccaa ggacacctac 1620gacgcccttc acatgcaggc cctgccccct cgctaa
1656211464DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 21atgggatggt catgtatcat
cctttttctg gtagcaactg caactggagt acattcagag 60gtgcagctgg tggagacagg
aggaggcttg gtacagcctg gaaattccct aaagctttcc 120tgtgccacct
caggattcat tttcagtaca acttggatga actggatccg ccagactcca
180gggaaaagac tggagtggct tgctcaaatt gaagacaaat ctaataatta
ttttatatca 240tattcggagt ctgtgaaagg aagattcacc atttcaagag
atgattccaa aagcagcgtt 300tacctgcaga tgaacaactt aaaagaggag
gacactgcca tttattactg tagttggaaa 360tataggtcca actattactt
tgattactgg ggccaaggag tcatggtcac agtctcctca 420gggtctacat
ctggatctgg gaagccgggt tctggtgagg gttctgacat tgtgctgacc
480cagtctcctg ctttggctgt gtctctagag cagagagcca ccatctcttg
caaaaccagc 540cagaatgtcg attattatgg cattagttat ttgcactggt
accaacagaa accaggacag 600caacccaaac tcctcatcta tgaagggtcc
aacttagcat ctgggatccc tgccaggttc 660agtggcagtg ggtctgggac
agacttcacc ctcaccatcg atcctgtgga ggctgatgat 720attgtaacct
attactgtca gcagagtaag gattatccgt acacgtttgg agctgggacc
780aagctggaac tgaaagcggc cgcaattgaa gttatgtatc ctcctcctta
cctagacaat 840gagaagagca atggaaccat tatccatgtg aaagggaaac
acctttgtcc aagtccccta 900tttcccggac cttctaagcc cttttgggtg
ctggtggtgg ttggtggagt cctggcttgc 960tatagcttgc tagtaacagt
ggcctttatt attttctggg tgaggagtaa gaggagcagg 1020ctcctgcaca
gtgactacat gaacatgact ccccgccgcc ccgggcccac ccgcaagcat
1080taccagccct atgccccacc acgcgacttc gcagcctatc gctccagagt
gaagttcagc 1140aggagcgcag acgcccccgc gtaccagcag ggccagaacc
agctctataa cgagctcaat 1200ctaggacgaa gagaggagta cgatgttttg
gacaagagac gtggccggga ccctgagatg 1260gggggaaagc cgagaaggaa
gaaccctcag gaaggcctgt acaatgaact gcagaaagat 1320aagatggcgg
aggcctacag tgagattggg atgaaaggcg agcgccggag gggcaagggg
1380cacgatggcc tttaccaggg tctcagtaca gccaccaagg acacctacga
cgcccttcac 1440atgcaggccc tgccccctcg ctaa 14642231DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 22tcgctcgagg ccgccaccat gggatggtca t
312335DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 23tcggcggccg ctttcagttc
cagcttggtc ccagc 352453DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 24ctgggaagcc
gggttctggt gagggttctg acattgtgct gacccagtct cct 532560DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 25accagaaccc ggcttcccag atccagatgt agaccctgag
gagactgtga ccatgactcc 602635DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
26acggtcgact tatcggctcc tgtggtagca gatga 352733DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 27tcgctcgagc tctagaccgc catggatttt cag
332833DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 28tcggcggccg cggtgaccgt
agttccttgg ccc 332919DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 29gtgggggtcc
tcgaggcca 193038DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 30ccatggactt
ccaggtgcag atcttctctt tcctgctg 383138DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 31attagtgcct ccgtcatcat gtccagaggc gatatcca
383238DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 32gatgacacag tcccccagtt
cagtgtccgc gtccatcg 383338DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
33gggaccgtgt caccattacc tgtcgcgcca gtcaaggc 383438DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 34atcgacaact ggctggggtg gtaccagcaa aagccagg
383538DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 35gaaggcgcca aaactgctga
tctatgatgc gagcaacc 383638DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
36tcgacactgg agtccccagt aggttctccg gatcgggg 383738DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 37tccggcacgt acttcacctt gaccatctcc agcctcca
383838DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 38ggccgaggat ttcgctgttt
acttctgcca gcaggcaa 383938DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
39aagcgtttcc gcccaccttc ggcgggggca ccaaggtg 384038DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 40gacataaaag gcagtaccag cggatccggc aagccggg
384138DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 41ctctggcgaa ggttccgaag
tccagttggt gcagtccg 384238DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
42gtggtggcct ggtcaagccg ggtgggagtc tcaggctc 384338DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 43tcctgcgccg cttcagggtt cacattctct tcgtattc
384438DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 44catgaactgg gtgcgccagg
cgccaggcaa ggggctgg 384538DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
45agtgggtcag ttcgatttca agttcgtcct cctacatc 384638DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 46tattacgccg actcagtcaa gggccgcttc acaatctc
384738DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 47cagagacaac gctaagaact
cgctgtacct ccaaatga 384838DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
48actcgctgcg cgccgaagac accgccgtgt actattgc 384938DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 49gcgagagtga ctgatgcctt cgacatatgg ggccaggg
385038DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 50aacgatggtg accgtgagta
gtgcggccgc aagagatc 385119DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
51gatctcttgc ggccgcact 195238DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
52actcacggtc accatcgttc cctggcccca tatgtcga 385338DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 53aggcatcagt cactctcgcg caatagtaca cggcggtg
385438DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 54tcttcggcgc gcagcgagtt
catttggagg tacagcga 385538DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
55gttcttagcg ttgtctctgg agattgtgaa gcggccct 385638DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 56tgactgagtc ggcgtaatag atgtaggagg acgaactt
385738DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 57gaaatcgaac tgacccactc
cagccccttg cctggcgc 385838DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
58ctggcgcacc cagttcatgg aatacgaaga gaatgtga 385938DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 59accctgaagc ggcgcaggag agcctgagac tcccaccc
386038DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 60ggcttgacca ggccaccacc
ggactgcacc aactggac 386138DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
61ttcggaacct tcgccagagc ccggcttgcc ggatccgc 386238DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 62tggtactgcc ttttatgtcc accttggtgc ccccgccg
386338DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 63aaggtgggcg gaaacgcttt
tgcctgctgg cagaagta 386438DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
64aacagcgaaa tcctcggcct ggaggctgga gatggtca 386538DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 65aggtgaagta cgtgccggac cccgatccgg agaaccta
386638DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 66ctggggactc cagtgtcgag
gttgctcgca tcatagat 386738DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
67cagcagtttt ggcgccttcc ctggcttttg ctggtacc 386838DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 68accccagcca gttgtcgatg ccttgactgg cgcgacag
386938DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 69gtaatggtga cacggtcccc
gatggacgcg gacactga 387038DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic
70actgggggac tgtgtcatct ggatatcgcc tctggaca 387138DNAArtificial
SequenceSynthetic 71tgatgacgga ggcactaatc agcaggaaag agaagatc
387238DNAArtificial SequenceSynthetic 72tgcacctgga agtccatggt
ggcctcgagg acccccac 38
* * * * *